Nicholas Nickleby (2002)

I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Good adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel.The story of a young man, Nicholas Nickleby (played by Charlie Hunnam). His father dies, leaving him, his mother and sister to fend for themselves. They seek assistance from his father's brother, Ralph (played by Christopher Plummer), who helps them. However...A great tale of survival and resourcefulness and good vs evil. Also, how when good but weak people band together they can conquer any evil.Solid direction. Not overly ambitious, but works well. Does drift in parts though.Good performances from the main cast, generally - Charlie Hunnam, Christopher Plummer, Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent, Romola Garai, Tom Courtenay, Anne Hathaway. Edward Fox is his usual irritating self, though in this case it is appropriate for the vile character he plays.

Nicholas Nickleby (Hunnam) hatches a scheme to rescue a crippled young boy from virtual slavery and asks his friend Noggs (Courtenay) what he thinks of it. "May I say, it is foolhardy, redolent of danger, and doomed to fail. Aside from that I can think of no objection." I know, I know. It's an antique fiddling with rhetoric. It was probably old when Dickens deployed it.But there are several other comic moments that lift this dark story out of the gloom that threatens to envelop it. A terrified boy named Smike (Bell) is about to appear on stage for the first time, playing the apothecary in "Romeo and Juliet" before a formal audience. Hunnam as Romeo is alone on the stage. Then he shouts, "What, ho! Apothecary!" and waits for Bell to appear A moment passes. Several moments pass. The audience sits politely -- waiting. Finally Bell comes crashing out onto the stage as if thrown from the wings, which he probably was. Unable to speak, he gawks into the silent theater. More moment pass. Dynasties rise and fall, until he tentatively croaks, "Who calls so loud?" And the audience bursts into applause for him, having finally gotten the line out! I said the story was dark and except for a few brief moments, most of them involving Hunnam's involvement with the actors, it is dark. As is usual with Dickens, there are several deaths, the threat of an unwise marriage, poverty and violence, the gain or loss of fortunes. I won't get into all the sub plots.The production values are extremely good. Scenes of drear and misery alternate with idyllic shots of green meadows and Mattise ponds laced with lily pads. Make up and wardrobe are unimpeachable.The performances are all professional but two stand out. Christopher Plummer is the rich, mean uncle who exploits everyone and is possessed by spite. His conversion to humanity is a little abrupt but it's not Plummer's fault. He's hugely enjoyable. The other is Tom Courtenay, almost unrecognizable as Plummer's bibulous butler.It joins David Lean's "Oliver Twist" and the 1951 version of "Christmas Carol" as the best adaptations of any Dickens novel.

Nicholas Nickleby (Charlie Hunnam) is a riches to rags story, unfolding. His father speculated away their fortune and then took to his bed and never got out, except when the hearse arrived. Now, Nicholas, his lovely sister, Kate (Romola Garai) and their mother are at the mercy of a rich uncle, Ralph Nickleby (Christopher Plummer). Instead of welcoming them into his home, the uncle arranges for the ladies to become dress-makers and board at the shop while Nicholas is sent to be a French instructor at a boys' school. Sounds fairly decent, right? Wrong! The school is run by a typical Dickens demonic gentleman, Mr. Squeers (Jim Broadbent) and his equally evil wife (Juliet Stevenson). The boys in their care get little to eat or drink and endure horrid beatings on a whim. Even worse, the young custodian, Smike (Jamie Bell), an orphan, is given back-breaking work, despite his crippled body. Nicholas is properly horrified and, finally, finds a way to break free, taking Smike with him. But, are they truly free? Meanwhile, the uncle plots to marry Kate to a gentleman twice her age, despite her resistance. Nicholas, on the run, joins a traveling theatrical troupe operated by an ebullient thespian (Nathan Lane), while trying to figure out how to rescue himself and his family from Ralph's noose. He even spies a young lady (Anne Hathaway) who just might capture his heart. Will she return his affections? This is a fine adaption of a Dickens classic, mixing just the right amounts of tribulation and light-heartedness. The cast is superb, from Hunnam on down, with one slight variance. Plummer, an outstanding actor, doesn't seem a good choice to play evil, he's just too nice, resulting in a portrayal with mixed impact, unlike Broadbent and Stevenson, who personify wickedness. The scenery, costumes, photography, adapted script and direction are of the finest as well. Do Pick Nick, sometime soon, if you love refined cinema, romance, adventure, or Dickens. It is an outstanding selection for an evening's pleasure.

If you remove the wooden and god awful Charlie Hunnam, AND Barry Humphries in drag,then this is not a bad stab at NN. However you can't and so this chocolate box attempt is ruled out for me. Much better watch/buy the Royal Shakespeare Company version,it's well paced out over a long journey and captures Dickens novel exactly. It's obviously aimed at those viewers that need the plot simplifying,prettifying and generally sanitising. There are plenty of equal/better versions out there. You just have to take your pick,mine is as above the RSC version. Dickens novels are not (as some directors think) easy to film,this one just falls short for various reasons.