The 1996 film “Matilda”, directed by Danny DeVito, starring Mara Wilson as Matilda, is positively a work of art. The very first scene pulls viewers in by showing Matilda’s dad seeing her for the first time in the hospital. However, he doesn’t like what he sees, so he leaves without her. But, he was actually going out to buy supplies to take care of her. One of the things he buys is a car seat; on their way home from the hospital, he puts her in it but doesn’t strap it to the seat. He is a wild driver so it leaves viewers wondering what will happen to her and keeps them watching. From the very beginning, “Matilda” is intriguing and leaves viewers wondering what will happen next. “Matilda” is a great movie and is different from others because of its plot, acting execution, unlikeliness, and viewer's emotions.

“Matilda” has a typical plot just like any other movie, in the sense that it starts slower, with less action and anticipation, then builds throughout the movie, and settles down again towards the end. In the beginning, it starts a little slower because it is mostly about Matilda’s insensitive parents not assisting her as a child. Even though her parents didn’t send her to school, she learned how to do many things earlier than the average child. However, they didn’t know just how old she was so they didn’t know that she should be in school. Eventually, the movie builds when her parents send her to an awful school and has a run-in with the principal, then settles down again in the end like any other movie. This plot makes for a very interesting movie that won’t disappoint. However, this would not be possible without the great acting execution of all the actors and actresses in the film.

“Matilda” has many great actors and actresses that were able to execute their roles to perfection. There are five specific parts that stand out from the others: Matilda, Miss Trunchbull, Miss Honey, and Matilda’s mom and dad. Matilda was played by Mara Wilson when she was about nine years old. Even though she was only nine, she was still able to play the role of Matilda with lots of emotion and drama. Miss Trunchbull, the principal, was played by Pam Ferris. Miss Trunchbull was a mean old lady who tortured the students at her school and did several unique things like throwing kids out the window which she was able to do effectively. Lastly, the role of Matilda’s mom was played by Rhea Perlman and her dad by Danny DeVito. They both played the role of parents who were partially neglecting their kids and treating them very poorly, but they were able to perform their roles in a very realistic way. On the other hand, there are many aspects of the movie that are far-fetched that could never happen in real life.

“Matilda” contains aspects of what life was like in 1996 when the movie was released but there are also a few aspects that weren’t realistic for the time period or real life. First, Matilda has the power to move people, objects, and things with her mind which can’t happen in real life no matter the time or the place. But, Matilda isn’t the only character that has an unusual power or ability. Secondly, Miss Trunchbull is unusually strong for a forty eight year old female or for anybody at any age. She can throw kids for about fifty yards over a fence and send them sliding for another twenty five yards, and for anybody that is nearly impossible, if not impossible. Third and final, it is a little far-fetched because Matilda’s dad owns a used car dealership which is normal but what he does to the cars he buys, repairs, then sells isn’t. He has extra super super glue that he uses to glue parts of the cars back on. He also uses a drill that he hooks up to the mileage counter in order to turn it back so it looks like there are fewer miles on the car even though there are actually an obscured amount of miles on them. All of this comes with many feelings as the viewer.

Throughout the movie, many different events occur which as the viewer results in different emotions. In the beginning, it is a little sad although it is also inspiring. Matilda’s mom and dad don’t take care of her as a baby or as a toddler, so it is a little sad in that way. But, watching as she is able to take care of herself and teach herself many different things at a young age is inspiring. While all that is happening, a deep hatred starts to arise as viewers see how her parents treat her and eventually where they send her to school. Also, once she starts going to school a hatred may develop towards Miss Trunchbull as well, considering what she does to the children. Eventually, like most movies, towards the middle suspense begins to take over. Overall, “Matilda” provides a variety of emotions throughout the whole movie which adds to the experience.

In conclusion, “Matilda” is a fantastic movie with a very interesting plot that was very easy to follow throughout the movie. The acting was also very well executed and all the characters played well together with each other in terms of acting off one another. It is a little far-fetched though, because of the powers and abilities of Matilda and Miss Trunchbull which made it very interesting, also as the viewer it provides lots of emotions, from admiration to hatred. It’s also very interesting to watch as Matilda expands her knowledge to the point where she is smarter than both of her parents, which doesn’t take long for her to do. However, in the first scene the way her dad treats her right off the bat it’s hard to expect she would have the resources to become so incredibly smart, but everything she earned she did for herself which for me was very inspiring. Watching the very first scene when she was a baby and already rejected by her parents then seeing what she did pulled me in and never served to disappoint.