Matilda: The Musical (2022)

Directed by Matthew Warchus. Starring Alisha Weir, Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, Sindhu Vee, Rei Yamauchi Fulker, Charlie Hodson-Prior, Meesha Garbett, Winter Farrett-Glasspool. [PG]

Having never seen (or even been aware of) the stage musical inspired by the classic Roald Dahl children’s book, I came in to the film version a neophyte, and left deflated. The deflating came long before the finale, however; nothing really works here, from the shapelessly refurbished structure of Dahl’s episodic narrative to the weak collection of songs, whether presented in intimate terms or as splashy production numbers (the one set in the maternity ward and the one led by rebellious students were particularly off-putting). The storytelling and casting don’t compare favorably to the imperfect-but-superior 1996 “straight” adaptation, and borders on the disrespectful to the source material at times; beyond those comparisons, too much is artificial and forced to have been saved even if the actors were chosen better—Weir is a featureless, inanimate Matilda and the stunt casting involved in using heavy makeup/prosthetics to turn Emma Thompson into the grotesque ogre Miss Trunchbull is arguably even more of a sore thumb than seeing John Travolta in drag for Hairspray (they both tried, darn it, but they do far more to call attention to themselves than disappear into the roles). If it’s true that the stage role was traditionally played by a male actor, I suppose it could’ve been worse—reportedly, the part was initially going to be played by Ralph Fiennes! Screenplay adaptation and new music/songs are all credited to the persons responsible for those duties in the original stage musical—book by Dennis Kelly, music & lyrics by Tim Minchin, score by Christopher Nightingale.

41/100