History Awesome / Matilda

* Matilda gets a bit of one when she calls out her dad on his monstrous sham of a used-car-lot....and the glued-on-hat prank she plays after he berates her for calling him out.
* Trunchbull ''really chewing out'' Harry Wormwood over the car he sold her at the start of her house rampage. [[note]]"....shove it up your bazooga!", indeed![[/note]]
* The Feds likely got this when they nailed the Wormwoods in Guam.
* "The School Song" sequence in the musical where two dancers would climb on the school gates as alphabet blocks are inserted through the holes and they adeptly climb on them [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyHbPBW3B90 on lyrical cue.]]

** Miss Honey also gets one in both the book and the film when she calls Mr. Wormwood out for considering some stupid TV show (in the book, it was a soap opera; in the movie, it was a televised boxing match) more important than his daughter.
** And again when Matilda's dad makes disparaging comments about college-educated people and Miss Honey points out that educated people have a place in the world (if, Heaven forbid, Matilda's dad had a heart attack, the doctor that cared for him would have been college-educated or, if Matilda's dad was sued for selling faulty cars, his lawyer would have been college-educated).

* Matilda's class [[spoiler: standing up to the Trunchbull]] in the musical. By ''misspelling words.''

* Also in the musical: the choreography of "School Song" is a ''triumph''.

* In the musical, Matilda rallies the students to cover up the Trunchbull's latest victim with their coats, then tells the headmistress that the boy suffers from narcolepsy, and therefore couldn't be guilty of the (imagined) crime. Not only does this show Matilda using her cleverness to help others, but the fact that the rest of the kids are willing to go along with the charade foreshadows the "strength in numbers" message of the musical as a whole.

* Trunchbull ''really chewing out'' Harry Wormwood over the car he sold her at the start of her house rampage. [[note]]"....shove it up your bazooga!", indeed![/note]]

** Similarly, Matilda, followed by her fellow students, standing up and cheering for Bruce to continue when he shows signs of giving up, continuing to support him even as the Trunchbull screams for quiet. It's their cries and cheers that give Bruce the strength he needs to polish off the whole cake, even licking the platter!

** He gets a second moment in the film. As all the kids are throwing water balloons, he smears a cake across the Trunchbull's mouth.

--> Mrs C. Mrs U. Mrs LTY.

* "The School Song" sequence in the musical where two dancers would climb on the school gates as alphabet blocks are inserted through the holes and they adeptly climb on them on lyrical cue.

*** It's even more awesome when Trunchbull smashes the glass platter over his head. While that is a bad thing to do to a kid it gives two more awesome points for Bruce: 1. Being that he is durable enough to take a heavy glass platter over the head with nothing short of a loud belch. 2. It gives Bruce the satisfaction that the aforementioned action meant he got to Trunchbull showing us a glimpse of her VillainousBreakdown.

--> '''Matilda''': I want to stay with Miss Honey.

--> '''Harry Wormwood''': Whatever.

--> '''Zinnia Wormwood''': Miss Honey doesn't want you. Why would she want some snotty, disobedient kid?
--> '''Miss Honey''': Because she's a spectacularly wonderful child, and I love her!

!!Meta
* Also a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming. The entire story. This is a movie about two people who grew up in horrifically abusive households--one whose biological parents neglected her and mentally and emotionally abused her, and one whose parents loved her very much but died, and who was effectively fostered into a physically and emotionally abusive household. Both are very strong young women, who are intelligent and capable and powerful--but whose guardians terrify them and who remain under said guardians' care because they are afraid. They are not demonized or chastised or portrayed as weak because of it, because their fears are realistic. This is a movie where ''those guardians were wrong''. There's no message that "we loved you but didn't know how to show it"; at no point is it implied that "You ''have'' to love them, they're your family". It's not a case of "pity the bully, because they're victims too!" ''[[ShutUpHannibal No.]]'' They are abusive, they are cruel, and ''they are wrong''. And at the end, Matilda escapes from her abusive guardians and finds a true family, with someone who loves her. Miss Honey, as an adoptive single mother, is portrayed as Matilda's true family because [[MamaBear she loves her]]. Just imagine being a child in a neglectful or abusive household, and [[YouAreNotAlone seeing that kind of message]] in a popular movie for the first time...
** Yet another level: The "Would your parents believe ''you''?" "...No" aspect of the film. Just because nobody believes your stories of abuse, just because you're not taken seriously because you're just a kid, ''that doesn't make you a liar''.
---> "I'm big, you're little. I'm right, and you're wrong!" Not true, {{Jerkass}}.
* Here are some other, but still major highlights about the story:
** Female protagonist.
** No love story cause shes a six-years-old.
** Lavender, Matilda's bff, is a small girl of color.
** Passed the Bechdel Test in like the first ten minutes.
** Anti-bullying message
** Anti-abuse message
** Pro-learning message
** Matilda is so smart she can move things with her MIND
** Teaches kids that if people are toxic, even if they are family, then you don’t have to stay with them.
** Cute as frickle.
** Great soundtrack.
** Happiest ending.
** Infinitely relatable.

-->'''Mr Wormwood''': What car? Sued by who? Who have you been talking to?!

---> "I'm big, you're little. I'm right, and you're wrong!" Not true, {{Jerkass}}.

** He gets a second moment at the end. As all the kids are throwing water balloons, he smears a cake across the Trunchbull's mouth.

** Miss Honey also gets one in both the book and the film when she calls Mr. Wormwood out for considering some stupid T.V. show (in the book, it was a soap opera; in the movie, it was a televised boxing match) more important than his daughter.

--> '''Zimmia Wormwood''': Miss Honey doesn't want you. Why would she want some snotty, disobedient kid?

* Matilda's class [[spoiler: standing up to the Trunchbull]] in the musical. By ''misspelling words.''

-->'''Miss Honey''': I am ''not'' seven years old anymore, [[spoiler: Aunt Trunchbull]].

-->'''Mr Wormwood''': What car? Sued by who? Who have you been talking to?!

*** It's even more awesome when Trunchbull smashes the glass platter over his head. While that is a bad thing to do to a kid it gives two more awesome points for Bruce: 1. Being that he is durable enough to take a heavy glass platter over the head with nothing short of a loud belch. 2. It gives Bruce the satisfaction that the aforementioned action meant he got to Trunchbull showing us a glimpse of her VillionousBreakdown.

* Bruce (the fat kid) [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome eats a whole cake]] (the ''size of a fat kid''). [[ItMakesSenseInContext This is a triumph of the human spirit]] and not only do the other kids cheer him on, but you will also be tempted to follow suit.

** And again when Matilda's dad makes disparaging comments about college-educated people and Miss Honey points out that educated people have a place in the world (if, Heaven forbid, Matilda's dad had a heart attack, the doctor that cared for him would have been college-educated or, if Matilda's dad was sued for selling faulty cars, his lawyer would have been college-educated).

** Miss Honey also gets one in both the book and the film when she calls Mr. Wormwood out for considering some stupid T.V. show more important than his daughter.

** Miss Honey also gets one in both the book and the film when she calls Mr. Wormwood out for considering some stupid T.V. show, more important than his daughter.

** Bruce (the fat kid) [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome eats a whole cake]] (the ''size of a fat kid''). [[ItMakesSenseInContext This is a triumph of the human spirit]] and not only do the other kids cheer him on, but you will also be tempted to follow suit.
** Miss Honey also gets a slight one when she [[spoiler: finally stands up to the Trunchbull]].
---> '''Miss Honey''': I am ''not'' seven years old anymore, [[spoiler: Aunt Trunchbull]].