Roald Dahl Film Adaptations: Ranked From Worst To Best

4. Matilda

Danny DeVito is perhaps not the first name that would come to mind when imagining a suitable person to adapt a Dahl book. The diminutive actor's directing career has been a sporadic diversion from his career in front of the camera. As a filmmaker DeVito has worked in a variety of genres with varying results, but comfortably his most successful directing job was The War of the Roses, a grown up dark comedy about the collapse of a marriage in bitter divorce. Not the obvious choice of director, then, for a charming children's fantasy. Nevertheless DeVito proved an impressively sure hand with the material. Working from a script by husband and wife team Robin Swicord and Nicholas (son of On the Waterfront director Elia) Kazan, DeVito not only directed Matilda, but also narrated the film and appeared alongside wife Rhea Perlman as Matilda's no good parents. As both director and star he has a strong grip on Dahl's theme of parental neglect embodied through vulgar anti-reading attitudes. His largely comedic background also suits the chaotic elements of the protagonist's mischievous telekinetic schemes. Largely the Americanised setting and cast functions well enough without losing the spirit of what makes Dahl's story work. Meanwhile, seasoned child star Mara Wilson (from Mrs Doubtfire) is well cast in the title role of bookish oddball. The only thing preventing Matilda from making the top three is that DeVito is a little workmanlike as a director, perhaps lacking the visionary quality of some of the other filmmakers on the list.