Telekinesis -- a staple of childhood dreams. How many of hours of youth are spent staring at that pencil, that book, that glass of water, trying to push it, lift it, inch it just a teeny bit through the force of thought? What child hasn't dreamed of the things they could do if just granted that power?

Matilda Wormwood is an extraordinary little girl born into a family that doesn't appreciate her gifts. One of those gifts is an amazing intelligence. She learns to write her name by age 1. She calculates difficult sums instantaneously in her head. Once let loose in the public library she blazes through the children's section and is reading "Moby Dick" (non-abridged) at age 6 1/2.

But her father (played by Danny DeVito) cannot understand why she wants to read when they have a perfectly good TV in the house. Her mother (played by Rhea Perlman) believes girls are best served by their looks, not books. Matilda wants nothing more than to go to school, but she never has. Her father needs her at home to sign for packages of stolen auto parts for his crooked used-car dealership. When Matilda finally gets to go to school, she's sent to Crunchem Hall -- a private academy ruled by the psychotic headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. Miss Trunchbull is a beast of a woman who lives by the motto, "Use the rod; beat the child." Her idea of the perfect school is one in which there are no children at all.

Sounds pretty bad, huh? Well, it's no coincidence Matilda's favorite author is Charles Dickens. A different movie might be jerking tears with this scenario. But MATILDA is a comedy -- and a fantasy. Magic and hyperbole are the means it employs to grab your imagination and draw your laughter.

Not every influence in Matilda's life is negative. Her teacher at Crunchem Hall is Miss Honey, the most wonderful teacher in the world. Miss Honey truly appreciates all of her children and recognizes Matilda's special talents. She's as compassionate as Miss Trunchbull is venomous. Unfortunately, her classroom isn't exempt from the inpections of Trunchbull. When the going gets tough, Matilda discovers another of her gifts -- telekinesis. And she uses it to works miracles.

Danny DeVito directed MATILDA and he's created a world that's probably just an exit or two down the freeway from that of EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. Kitschy '70s decor at home, dour stone archways at school. Many of Crunchem Hall's interiors reminded me of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. I'll tell you, if DeVito intends to be the next Tim Burton, he's on the right track with this one. Not only does he have the look, but he conveys the sense of humour that makes grown-ups want to see a movie that's otherwise targeted at kids.

Mara Wilson plays Matilda. She's the little girl who had Natalie Wood's role in the remake of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET from the year before last. She's sober, worldly and absolutely adorable -- a thinking man's McCauley Culkin. She's got a lot of talent. Give her a decade and she could be the next Winona Ryder.

Miss Honey is played by Embeth Davidtz. If you recognize her, it's probably from her role in SCHINDLER'S LIST. She played Helen Hirsch, Ralph Fiennes' abused maidservant/girlfriend. In MATILDA, she's so angelic; makes me want to drive straight to Crunchem Hall with an engagement ring in my pocket.

Since MATILDA is being marketed toward children, the big question is "Can I take my kid to see it?" The MPAA gave MATILDA a "PG (Parental Guidance)" rating for "elements of exaggerated meanness and ridicule, and for some mild language." Quite true. Matilda's parents are belittling lowlifes. But they are never physically abusive. Miss Trunchbull is a terrifying concoction, spewing ridiculous epithets like "you villainous sack of goat slime!" Some of the scenes with her are fairly intense. But she's probably no more disturbing than, say, Cruella DeVille from 101 DALMATIONS. MATILDA is told as a fairy tale. As such, I think kids can handle its scarier parts. Recommended age? Probably six to ten.

But please remember to use that parental guidance. What I found most troubling about MATILDA was not its level of intensity, but one of the central notions it advances. There's a crucial moment when Matilda's told when people are bad they need to be punished. The film supports Matilda's logical extension that when parents are bad, their children have the right to punish them. If your child is very impressionable or has a discipline problem and you take them to see MATILDA, plan for peroxide in your hair-tonic and super-glue in your hat... and hours of watching them attempt telekinesis.

A conversation in the lobby after the show: A mother asks her 5 year old son if he liked the movie. "Yeah," he says positively. The mother replied weakly, "I liked it, too." Later they agreed they liked HARRIET THE SPY better.

I haven't seen HARRIET THE SPY, but I did enjoy MATILDA. It made me laugh. It was a stylistic pleasure to look at. And darn it if it weren't fairy tale cute. But now, as you might have guessed, I must be off. It's been years since I last practiced at telekinesis, and I've got a lot of catching up to do.

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