Mr. Wormwood
Encyclopedia
Mr. Harry Wormwood is a fictional character in the British
book Matilda
, by Roald Dahl
, and lead character in the film based on the book. He is the father of title character Matilda Wormwood
and her older brother Michael, and the husband of Mrs Wormwood. While he treats Michael nicely, he treats Matilda abusively.
critic Charles Taylor
to describe the Wormwoods as "the apotheosis of middle-class bad taste" in the American setting for the film. He works with crooks, he hates books and forbids Matilda to read them, he is greedy and likes Michael. With Matilda, his abuse has been ripping pages out of books, calling her names, and forcing her to watch television. He seems to be quite happy with his shady used car business.
Mr. Wormwood is an exaggeration of the scheming used-car salesman stereotype. He grooms his son Michael to eventually join the business. An example of a particular day includes buying one car for 118 dollars and selling it for 760 dollars, such that during the entire day, he made $4303.50.
Danny DeVito
played Mr. Wormwood in the 1996 film, which he also produced and directed. The film was by all accounts faithful to Dahl's book (except for the ending, notes Roger Ebert). New York Times
critic Janet Maslin
cheerfully credits DeVito for "stealing his own movie", adding a "jolt of caricature" and jointly giving the first half of the film a lot of its fun. In other senses, DeVito's presence keeps the film true to the book. Variety
critic Joe Leydon
says the preservation of enough of the novel's humor and British slang, including the "You lying little earwig!" line voiced by Mr. Wormwood, means the change of setting has little effect. DeVito also narrates the film. San Francisco Chronicle
critic Edward Guthmann also lauds DeVito's acting, but finds it "jarring" to hear the same voice from Mr. Wormwood and as commentary on Mr. Wormwood's actions.
, Chopper, up the chimney, which scared Mr. Wormwood so much that it made him turn gray in the face. Finally, she caused him to platinum blond hair dye on his hair instead of his Oil of Violets Hair tonic. Although after these tricks, he refuses to regret what he has done.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
book Matilda
Matilda (novel)
Matilda is a children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. It was published in 1988 by Jonathan Cape in London, with illustrations by Quentin Blake. The story is about Matilda Wormwood, an extraordinary child with ordinary and rather unpleasant parents, who are contemptuous of their daughter's...
, by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
, and lead character in the film based on the book. He is the father of title character Matilda Wormwood
Matilda Wormwood
Matilda Wormwood is a fictional character in the children's novel Matilda by Roald Dahl. She is a highly precocious six-year old girl who has a passion for reading books. Matilda's parents do not recognise their daughter's great intelligence and show little interest in her, particularly her father,...
and her older brother Michael, and the husband of Mrs Wormwood. While he treats Michael nicely, he treats Matilda abusively.
Character
Dahl describes Mr. Wormwood as a "small ratty looking man" with buck teeth who continuously wears loud checkered jackets and ties that were normally yellow or green. The film version of his gaudy home includes an alarm-clock with in a casino dice casing and plenty of meals in front of the TV, prompting Salon.comSalon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
critic Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor
Charles McArthur Ghankay Taylor was the 22nd President of Liberia, serving from 2 August 1997 until his resignation on 11 August 2003....
to describe the Wormwoods as "the apotheosis of middle-class bad taste" in the American setting for the film. He works with crooks, he hates books and forbids Matilda to read them, he is greedy and likes Michael. With Matilda, his abuse has been ripping pages out of books, calling her names, and forcing her to watch television. He seems to be quite happy with his shady used car business.
Mr. Wormwood is an exaggeration of the scheming used-car salesman stereotype. He grooms his son Michael to eventually join the business. An example of a particular day includes buying one car for 118 dollars and selling it for 760 dollars, such that during the entire day, he made $4303.50.
Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
played Mr. Wormwood in the 1996 film, which he also produced and directed. The film was by all accounts faithful to Dahl's book (except for the ending, notes Roger Ebert). New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
critic Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
cheerfully credits DeVito for "stealing his own movie", adding a "jolt of caricature" and jointly giving the first half of the film a lot of its fun. In other senses, DeVito's presence keeps the film true to the book. Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
critic Joe Leydon
Joe Leydon
Joseph Patrick Michael "Joe" Leydon is an American film critic and historian. A critic and correspondent for Variety and a contributing writer for MovieMaker Magazine, he is the author of Joe Leydon's Guide to Essential Movies You Must See and a contributing critic for Leonard Maltin's Movie...
says the preservation of enough of the novel's humor and British slang, including the "You lying little earwig!" line voiced by Mr. Wormwood, means the change of setting has little effect. DeVito also narrates the film. San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
critic Edward Guthmann also lauds DeVito's acting, but finds it "jarring" to hear the same voice from Mr. Wormwood and as commentary on Mr. Wormwood's actions.
Tricks played on him by Matilda
Matilda has played numerous tricks on Mr. Wormwood. First, he put on a hat with superglue on it and had to have it cut off the next day by Mrs. Wormwood. Next, she stuck Fred's parrotParrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
, Chopper, up the chimney, which scared Mr. Wormwood so much that it made him turn gray in the face. Finally, she caused him to platinum blond hair dye on his hair instead of his Oil of Violets Hair tonic. Although after these tricks, he refuses to regret what he has done.
See also
- Matilda WormwoodMatilda WormwoodMatilda Wormwood is a fictional character in the children's novel Matilda by Roald Dahl. She is a highly precocious six-year old girl who has a passion for reading books. Matilda's parents do not recognise their daughter's great intelligence and show little interest in her, particularly her father,...
- Matilda (novel)Matilda (novel)Matilda is a children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. It was published in 1988 by Jonathan Cape in London, with illustrations by Quentin Blake. The story is about Matilda Wormwood, an extraordinary child with ordinary and rather unpleasant parents, who are contemptuous of their daughter's...
- Matilda (film)