Matilda the Musical (2022)

When the climactic dance scene in the new Matilda movie went viral, I watched it about fifteen times and decided that I must see the whole thing. I’m so glad I did.

While I was a huge fan of Roald Dahl in my childhood, I was too old to have read the original book when it was published in 1988 (I was in my last year of college). My children were not yet born when the first movie came out in 1996, so I missed that, too. I didn’t even notice that there was a musical version that debuted in London in 2011. This was my first experience with Matilda, and it was delightful.

The plot is simple: a brilliant little girl with terrible parents goes to a school with a terrible, evil headmistress, and helps lead a revolt. The movie is based on the musical, so there’s more singing than talking, and it’s a total joy because the lyrics are so creative and clever. The colors are bright, and the action is almost non-stop.

Should you see it? If you don’t like musicals, aren’t interested in kids’ movies, or are a grump, then no. Everyone else? Yes, you really should. It’s great fun.