Film

Matilda

Name: Matilda
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Family
Released: 1978
Cast: Elliott Gould, Clive Revill, Harry Guardino, Roy Clark, Karen Carlson

Other titles called Matilda: the 1996 film.

Comedy
Light-hearted

A 1978 family comedy about a talent agent who discovers a boxing kangaroo and sees dollar signs. It's cheerful, ramshackle, and weird in the way '70s studio films could be—imagine a fever dream about show business where the climax involves a marsupial. For viewers who like oddball entertainment and don't mind loose plotting in service of pure nonsense.

If you liked this

Rocky1976

The obvious companion: an underdog sports story with genuine heart beneath the comedy. Stallone's earnestness makes the premise sing, and the fight scenes have real craft. You'll understand what inspired the boxing kangaroo concept.

But Three hours long, and the pacing can drag in the middle. If you want jokes every thirty seconds, Rocky will frustrate you.

The Bad News Bears1976

Another '70s comedy about an unlikely coach turning misfits into champions. Walter Matthau is grouchy and warm, the kids are actually funny, and it nails the tone of chaotic goodwill that Matilda reaches for.

But Dated slang and casual cruelty that was funny then but reads differently now. Some of the humor lands harder than it probably should.

Paper Lion1968

Alan Alda tries to join the Detroit Lions, leading to warm comedy about outsiders in a world they don't belong. Same DNA as Matilda: gentle, genial, and fascinated by the machinery of sports and ambition.

But Slower and more sentimental than you might expect. Sports fans will find the football stuff thin.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Matilda

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Moonwalk One1972

Both are artifacts of the '70s fascination with live spectacle and the idea that anything could be broadcast to make you a star. Same intoxicated energy.

A documentary essay about the Apollo 11 mission that's shot like a fever dream—psychedelic, poetic, urgent. It captures the exact moment Matilda inhabits: American optimism, spectacle, and the peculiar magic of televised achievement.

But Abstract and demanding. It's not a narrative, it's a mood, and if you need plot clarity, you'll find it maddening.

The Greatest1977

Muhammad Ali plays himself in a biopic that's part documentary, part fiction. Charismatic and strange, it captures the same '70s fever for celebrity and reinvention that drives Matilda's premise.

But Deeply in love with its own subject. If you find Ali's persona exhausting, this will test your patience hard.

Slap Shot1977

Paul Newman in a scrappy ice hockey comedy that's funnier and meaner than it has any right to be. The chaos and the loyalty feel real even when the gags are purely dumb.

But Coarse and occasionally nasty. The humor is looser and bluer than Matilda's family-friendly tone.

The Gong Show Movie1980

Chuck Barris turns a TV variety show into a film that's almost a documentary of bad talent. Same chaotic energy and celebration of the utterly unqualified; you'll recognize the kindred spirit.

But Formless and exhausting. There is no plot, only a parade of weird acts, and your tolerance for that will determine everything.

Freaky Friday1976

Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster swap bodies in a Disney comedy that's surprisingly inventive. Light, well-made, and generous—it understands family entertainment without being syrupy about it.

But Very Disney, very clean. If you want anything with real edge or cynicism, you won't find it here.

The Love Bug1968

Dean Jones and a Volkswagen Beetle that thinks for itself. A car comedy that plays it straight, which is precisely what makes it endearing. Matilda shares its fundamental sweetness and absurdity.

But The charm is built entirely on good faith. If you're allergic to earnestness, this will feel cloying.

Herbie Fully Loaded2005

A remake that proves the Love Bug formula still works: cheerful protagonist, impossible vehicle, racing action. Not as inventive as the original, but it has energy and genuine affection for its premise.

But Later Disney product, slicker and more focus-grouped. The rough edges are gone; it's almost too competent.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes1953

Both are comedies about people with nothing trying to become somebody through performance and spectacle. Both celebrate the con as a form of American aspiration.

Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell sing and scheme through a comedy about women using charm to get what they want. The ultimate '50s entertainment, but it's sharp and self-aware—those women are not naive.

But Musical, so if you don't like songs in your movies, you're out immediately. It's also deeply of its era in ways that read dated now.

King Kong1933

Both hinge on taking an impossible, ridiculous premise completely seriously—a giant ape, a boxing kangaroo—and letting that absurdity become the vehicle for real feeling. That's their shared magic.

The original King Kong is a fairy tale about beauty and the beast, shot as an adventure film. It's visionary and weird, and underneath the spectacle is real emotion. Worth seeing to understand why monsters in stories matter.

But Pre-code Hollywood pacing can feel slow to modern viewers. The racial undertones are uncomfortable and historical.