Matilda by Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord

I have described this script as delightful, because that's what it is. Great script. Great movie. Based on a great book by Roald Dahl. Lessons and outline on next page. 

​Lessons:

1. Matilda’s magic is never really questioned by anyone else, and no one ever knows she’s doing it. The students and adults witness strange occurrences, but it’s not a huge deal and it’s not something that anyone tries to explain or investigate. SIMPLE, those are the rules of this universe.
2. Matilda feels very alone for a lot of the script, which makes us love her and root for her. I think we can manage that with Libby — making her feel isolated more and more as the phone takes over.
3. Matilda’s “learning my magic” sequence is pretty fun and funny... she feeds herself a bite of cereal from a levitating spoon... And I think we can have fun with our version of that too.
4. Matilda’s interaction with other students is limited, but we do see that she has allies/ sort of friends... point is, I don’t think we need to concern ourselves too too much with Libby’s social circle. Zylar is the villain, and that’s basically all we need.
5. Matilda gains confidence to be herself... That’s sort of a parallel here. Obviously, with Matilda it’s a little different, but it’s the idea of a certain “magic” being the gateway to self-discovery.
6. Adults are comical dolts. Always, always, always, with the exception of Ms. Honey. One sage.

Outline:

1. Opening sequence:
   1. Matilda from birth - parents aren’t interested in her, more outraged by the hospital bill. There’s a narrator describing her circumstances.
   2. Matilda at home as a baby, constantly confronted by dangers to an infant like knives
   3. Matilda being gifted — learns quickly how to spell and also how to take care of herself.
   4. She can read and cook for herself by 4 yo, and is always left alone in the house.
   5. Matilda asks for a book when she’s 5, her dad sneers and tells her tv is better for you
   6. Matilda goes to the library to get a book by herself
   7. Matilda goes into the world. She is a tiny child in a land of giant adults and towering cement trucks. She feels very small.
   8. Matilda in the library. Librarian talks down to her at first. But then the librarian likes her.
   9. We learn that Matilda started coming to the library every day. She gets a library card and starts reading all the books, not just the children’s ones.
   10. Montage of Matilda taking home more and more books in a wagon, and getting older. Finally, she is 6 and a half, her age for the script. We conclude this opening sequence with a narrator saying Matilda got a hopefully message from all her books: you are not alone.
2. Mr. wormwood (Matilda’s dad) discovers all her library books, and disbelieves that she got them from a library. He accuses her of only being four and she says, no I’m six and a half. They get in an argument about her age and Mr. Wormwood insists that she would be in school if she were six and a half. Matilda begs to go to school but her parents won’t let her. Matilda feels like an alien in her house.
3. Then one day Mr. Wormwood comes home and has sold a bunch of cars. He asks his dolt of a son to add up how much profit he’s made, but Matilda does it quickly in her head. Then Mr. Wormwood tells her when a person is bad, they should be punished, so Matilda gets the idea to punish her parents. She messes with their hair products.
4. Mr. Wormwood has very white hair the next day. He tries to groom Michael (Matilda’s brother) to take over the used car business, but everyone is distracted by his terrible hair dye. Mr. Wormwood decides to take his kids to work.
5. FBI agents are watching the wormwood house. we don’t learn why.
6. Wormwood at work. His kids are there. We get the impression from his attitude that these might be stolen cars he’s selling.
7. Wormwood introduces his kids to the shop and its employees. It’s clearly a sketchy operation. Matilda realizes her father is a cheater and a liar and she is horrified. She gets the idea to sabotage him further.
8. Mrs. Wormwood shows up, having won big in bingo. She wants to take the family out. By lingering on Wormwood’s hat and a tube of superglue, we get the impression that Matilda has superglued wormwood’s hat to his head.
9. As they arrive at the restaurant, Matilda’s parents blame her for the fact that they never go out. Wormwood takes the money from Mrs. Wormwood — as the man, he’s gonna pay no matter whose money it is.
10. In the restaurant, Mrs. Wormwood wants Mr. to take off his hat, but (no surprise) he can’t. The hat won’t come off, and a scene ensues as a waiter tries to take the hat off too.
11. At home, Mrs. Wormwood tries to cut her husband’s hat off, as he demands respect from his kids. They bicker about the hat getting glued on, and everyone in the family is obviously a moron. Wormwood is furious when he discovers Matilda is secretly reading instead of watching TV with the rest of the family. He rips up her library book. Forces her to watch the TV. We sense something has snapped in Matilda.
12. NOTE: this is around page 30. We finally see here Matilda has powers because as she glowers at the TV, it suddenly EXPLODES! She immediately denies responsibility for the TV explosion and her dad is like, duh, how would you have done that? But she knows... Something happened.
13. Matilda at work in her dad’s shop. A person named “The Trunchbull” shows up. She’s a headmistress. We only get stylized glimpses of the Trunchbull’s coat, neck etc... Never her whole self. Interesting detail. Matilda spies on the Trunchbull.
14. Trunchbull reveals that she runs a school very strictly. Matilda and Wormwod are intrigued. Wormwood refers to Matilda as a mistake.
15. Wormwood tells Matilda she’s going to school. Good moment - we know that Wormwood is sending her because he thinks she’ll get a real disciplinary experience, and she just wants to learn.
16. Trunchbull is fully revealed in the school yard — a monstrous woman. She’s literally cracking a whip.
17. Matilda makes a friend — Lavender — and another acquaintance Hortensia, who tells her about the horrors of Trunchbull (who used to throw shotput). Matilda imagines the terrible things in even more vivid detail. We also learn about “The Chokey” a terrible place where kids are sent to be punished. Trunchbull spots a girl with pigtails. She hates pigtails and hurls the girl into the air. Judging by the other kids’ reactions, this happens a lot.
18. Matilda goes to class and meets her wonderful, angelic teacher, Ms. Honey. Finally, an ally! But Ms. Honey immediately recognizes that Matilda is a genius and tries to get Trunchbull to promote Matilda to a higher grade. (We also learn through the narrator that Honey has a terrible secret) Thinking that Honey is trying to foist Matilda off, Trunchbull rejects Honey and physically hurts her. NOTE: This scene is filled with great details. Trunchbull sips water with a great intimidation factor, Trunchbull has a wall of children’s faces on which she practices her dart-throwing skills, Trunchbull also has a real life “Chokey” (not a rumor) which is lined with glass and nails. WTF?
19. Mrs. Honey is upset but not deterred by Trunchbull. She steals supplies to help Matilda learn at a more advanced level.
20. Matilda is happy. On her way home, she spots the suspicious FBI guys.
21. Matilda gets home and wants to tell her mom about school, but her mom is painting her toe nails and talking on the phone and she totally ignores Matilda.
22. Later, Matilda’s dad and brother are watching a boxing match on TV and acting it out. The doorbell rings and it’s Ms. Honey. Wormwood is, predictably, quite rude to her. Ms. Honey wants to encourage Matilda’s brilliance, wants the Wormwoods to send Matilda to college early... But they sneer at her and at education generally. Matilda and Ms. Honey are both sad and exchange a meaningful look...
23. Ms. Honey’s class — building a PVC water system in the room. Matilda makes advanced calculations. Ms. Honey and Matilda bond. Then, Trunchbull calls an immediate assembly over the loudspeaker.
24. The assembly is just to publicly shame a little boy who stole a piece of cafeteria cake. Bruce. Trunchbull makes him eat a whole cake, but he turns it around on her and wins the assembly over to his side as he proudly pounds back the cake. Furious that her punishment backfired, Trunchbull makes the entire school stay an extra five hours for cheering Bruce on.
25. The FBI car is still outside Matilda’s house. They too are silly, always reading something goofy or watching a show about the FBI. Comical adults.
26. Matilda’s parents are furious that she’s late and thinks she’s lying about Bruce, but of course she’s not. ALSO we are reminded here that throughout the movie, Wormwood has been getting mysterious packages. He claims they are car parts. Matilda tries to tell him that cops are watching the house, but he doesn’t believe her.
27. Next we have the first scene where Matilda acts like a little girl. She goes to the creek with Lavender and Bruce to hunt for animals to catch. They find and catch a newt.
28. Matilda brings the newt to school. Everyone is fascinated by it. But then, Trunchbull arrives, pushing the used car she bought from Matilda’s dad. Obviously it’s a piece of shit. And she sees Matilda... on whom she will clearly blame the car’s faultiness.
29. Matilda is thrown in the Chokey just for being related to the guy who sold Trunchbull the shitty car. Matilda is terrified.
30. Meanwhile, Ms. Honey helps all the kids get ready for the Trunchbull to make her weekly classroom visit. Lavender tries to tell Ms. Honey about Matilda, but there’s too much chaos. Lavender also now has the newt. Uh-oh...
31. Lavender silently mouths to Ms. Honey that Matilda is in the Chokey. Ms. Honey sneaks out as Trunchbull cruelly berates a child for no reason.
32. NOTE: The following is a very long classroom sequence. Ms. Honey releases Matilda. It’s very sweet. When Ms. Honey returns, Trunchbull is holding a student upside down by the ankles and shaking him. Trunchbull is furious when she realizes Matilda is free, but she doesn’t know Ms. Honey does it and she doesn’t want to embarrass herself. Instead, she turns her wrath on Nigel, a boy who gets very flustered by Trunchbull’s questions. A girl, Liza, volunteers that Ms. Honey cleverly taught them to spell DIFFICULTY with a poem, but Trunchbull is furious about this. She physically tortures another boy before taking a sip of water... And realizing the newt is in her glass!!! Trunchbull blames Matilda for this immediately because Matilda corrects Trunchbull when Trunchbull says it’s a snake. Trunchbull threatens Matilda, and Matilda gets so angry she makes the water and the newt explode onto Trunchbull.
33. Later, Matilda confesses to Ms. Honey that she exploded the glass, but Honey doesn’t believe her. It was an accident. (NOTE: Honey is not condescending, but rather reassuring and kind). Matilda tries to recreate the incident, but can’t. Honey invites Matilda to come over to her house. Matilda agrees.
34. Matilda and Honey walk together. Clearly they are bonding again. Matilda is so happy to be with someone who understands her. Matilda tells Honey how the Cinderella story is bullshit — why’d Cinderella have to suffer for so long before the Godmother shows up? And why doesn’t the Godmother give her something better than a dress? Honey shows Matilda Turnbull’s house — it’s creepy and decrepit, but there’s a child’s swing out front.
35. Honey tells Matilda a story... about a little girl whose mom died when she was two. Then her mean aunt came to live with her, then her father died when she was 5 leaving her alone with the terrible aunt. The father supposedly killed himself, but people suspect the aunt killed him to take over his money. The little girl then had a miserable life under the aunt’s thumb, and was forced to pay the aunt for “taking care of her.” We learn that Trunchbull is Honey’s evil aunt... And Honey is still under her thumb. But Honey says she told this story to show Matilda that even if you feel unappreciated or unloved by your family, it’s okay because someday you’ll be free.
36. Matilda says Honey should leave. But Honey doesn’t want to abandon the kids to Trunchbull. Matilda encouraged Honey to take back the things she left in her father’s house, which is now owned by Trunchbull. Honey decides Matilda is right and they should go RIGHT NOW.
37. Trunchbull is leaving the house with an absurd amount of workout gear (another great detail) but then she sees a black cat and is freaked — she’s very superstitious. She’s basically a clown in this scene, she’s so terrified of the cat.
38. As Trunchbull tries to avoid the cat, Matilda and Honey sneak into the house using an old hidden key Honey remembered.
39. Honey is flooded with memory upon entering the house. She tells Matilda all about her family before Trunchbull ruined everything.
40. Meanwhile, outside, Trunchbull’s car is malfunctioning again.
41. Honey and Matilda go to Honey’s old room. It’s very much still a little girl’s room.
42. Now we intercut, as Honey and Matilda rediscover Honey’s childhood treasures and Trunchbull, fed up with the car, storms back towards her house. Yikes.
43. Trunchbull storms in cursing Wormwood’s name. Uh-oh. What will Matilda and Honey do? Reveal: Trunchbull is on the phone cursing Wormwood.
44. There’s no good escape for Matilda and Honey. Trunchbull sees a chocolate box partly open and realizes someone is in her house. Trunchbull hunts for Honey and Matilda as they try to sneak out.
45. Honey tells Matilda to sneak out a back staircase while Honey distracts Trunchbull. Matilda accidentally makes noise, revealing her location.
46. Trunchbull almost catches Matilda, but Matilda is gone...
47. Honey tries to sneak out...
48. Matilda is hiding under the table. Trunchbull pulls the tablecloth off, but Matilda is GONE. She’s clinging to the table. She starts to lose her grip. Honey sees Trunchbull and Matilda’s precarious situation. Honey rushes out the front door to distract Trunchbull.
49. Matilda thuds to the floor. Honey appears by her side, scaring her, but they have to hurry! Quick!
50. Matilda and Honey try to escape through the basement. Trunchbull is still on their trail. Honey gets stuck in the window. She and Matilda narrowly escape. Trunchbull can’t fit through the window, so she runs outside to look for the intruders. Matilda tells Honey that Trunchbull is a monster who should be taught a lesson. So the plot thickens...
51. At home, Mrs. Wormwood is idiotically talking about her husband’s nefarious business dealings with “Bob and Bill,” the FBI agents who Mrs. Wormwood insists are salesmen.
52. Wormwood bursts in. Furious two strange men are in his house. Matilda insists they’re cops but no one listens. Wormwood kicks them out and rails against his wife for talking to strange men and not having dinner ready. Mrs. Wormwood feels like she’s trapped. Matilda again tries to recreate her water glass trick but can’t do it. Matilda demands that her dad yell at her, so she can muster the rage to do the water trick. He obliges. Matilda has her powers back. She slams the door with her mind.
53. Matilda fakes sickness the next morning. Her mom is put out by Matilda’s illness, not concerned. Matilda experiments with her powers while home alone (this happens very late in the script). She has to muster anger to do anything impressive.
54. MONTAGE: Matilda starts to get a handle on her abilities. The FBI men, meanwhile, have broken into her house and are investigating the UPS boxes in her garage. Matilda messes with them, moving the boxes around with her mind. Matilda threatens them overtly next, telling them if they don’t have a warrant they’ll be in big trouble. Again, they are comical. And no match for her.
55. At night, Matilda tries to tell her dad about the feds, but he doesn’t care and seems to be planning to move to a faraway country. She rockets a carrot at her brother, who’s being mean to her, then leaves the house. She seems to have really gained a mastery of her powers.
56. Matilda sees normal families and is sad. Then she passes Trunchbull’s house, and is scared. Trunchbull is sharpening a javelin by the fire and it’s terrifying and creepy.
57. Matilda sneaks up on the roof and takes Honey’s stuff by using her mind powers. Her red hair ribbon gets caught in a tree. Then, she tries to mess with Trunchbull a little more... Matilda almost gets caught while stealing the chocolates from Trunchbull’s living room. Matilda realizes Trunchbull is outside and about to catch her in the beam of a flashlight. The black cat comes to the rescue, attacking Trunchbull right before Matilda’s cover is blown.
58. Matilda starts moving Trunchbull’s chair... pulling it out from under Trunchbull as she tries to sit. Matilda flickers Trunchbull’s lights. SERIES OF SHOTS of Matilda doing lots of fun stuff with her brain to mess with Trunchbull, and Trunchbull being bewildered and scared. Matilda makes it seem like Trunchbull is being haunted by the brother she maybe killed (Honey’s dad).
59. As Trunchbull prepares to leave, she spots Matilda’s lost hair ribbon.
60. At school, Matilda reveals to Honey that she stole the stuff with her powers. Trunchbull storms up, declares she’s teaching Honey’s class,
61. Matilda summons all her powers in an epic battle to take down Trunchbull. She continues the ruse of Trunchbull being haunted by her dead brother, writing in chalk (with her mind) a menacing message to Trunchbull on the chalkboard. But Trunchbull won’t give up easily. She throws a boy out the window, but Matilda makes him fly! Then Matilda makes him punch Trunchbull in the face. Trunchbull then tries to attack Lavender, but Lavender suddenly can walk on the ceiling! Trunchbull finally tries to rally for one last fight, but then something beautiful happens — all the students gang up on her and start to throw their lunches at her. She runs out into the hall and more students throw things at her. It’s beautiful... Suddenly Matilda’s magic has empowered the entire school. Trunchbull flees.
62. Ms. Honey gets her father’s house back, Matilda gets adopted by Ms. Honey when her crooked parents flee to Guam, and all is well in the world, because these two misfits have a family finally — each other.