Nicholas Nickleby

A lovely film made lovelier by the gorgeous, uplifting score. Rachel Portman has done it again. :) Just a trifle overlong, and Charlie Hunnam is not the best actor I've seen, but he does his best. I'm also not sure why Anne Hathaway gets all the praise - she does a fine job, but is greatly upstaged by the elegant Romola Garai. Jamie Bell really steals the show, however - he's truly heartbreaking as poor underdog Smike. NOTE TO PARENTS: this is a fairly intense PG. There's a brief post-childbirth scene, some degree of violence (i.e., flogging), angry confrontations between characters, very mature, weighty themes, and a partial view of someone hanging. Emotions tend to run high, too - anger, sadness, unrequited love, bitter regret, etc. I personally would have rated it as a "mild" PG-13.

This.....was.....the.....slowest.....moving.....movie.....ever. I don't know if it was the pace, lowsy screen play or poor acting that was worse. No, it was a tie. All interaction between characters was contrived and unbelievable and the story line was predictable and dull, all of which ruined any sentimentality or believability. Even the well-known actors were shameful. I admit, I haven't read the novel but I have a hard time believing that Dickens intended for his book to be portrayed in such a horrible manner or if it was simply written that way. Yes...I'm going to read the book to find out. For a great lover of period pieces, this was a HUGE waste of time.

At times serious and poignant and at other times ridiculous and unbelievable. The transitions in the movie seemed abrupt. Overall, the movie lacked cohesiveness. Was it a drama or a fairytale? I don't think it does Dickens justice. I will say that the villains were indeed hateful and well performed.

I really enjoyed this film.

A perfect hook into Dickens for a viewer new to his writing and a fresh interpretation for those who love his tales already.

Wonderful wonderful movie with courageous acters and actresses! Wonderful story line! Ilove it! must see!

Dickens was a masterful storyteller with wonderful characters and plot turns, and this story is no exception. Additionally, the production is excellent - acting, scenes and costumes all superior. Best of all adults and children will both enjoy this tale (although the school master is pretty frightening - a thoroughly evil man!!)

I've never read the book, but I love this movie! There are very funny parts, good acting, and a lot of beautiful themes. It will make you cry and laugh. The music is great as well. Although this is rated PG, I would say there are a couple parts that kids probably shouldn't watch.

After watching Little Dorritt on Masterpiece theatre, I was craving some more Dickens, so rented this movie, but it isn't up to snuff. The script is not good, the acting is flat, the production value is pretty low in comparison. If you haven't seen a Masterpiece Theatre work of Dickens, I suggest you skip this, and look for one of those mini series.

You will cringe, anger, cry, laugh, love, and dream... Beautiful touching story. What a genius storyteller Dickens was.