Nicholas Nickleby (2002)

Just what I expected

Good movie but grossly overrated

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I love this movie. I've seen it multiple times and each time it's bettter. All the actors did a fantastic job. A must see.

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.

Charles Dickens classic Nicholas Nickleby gets a fine remake in this 2002 version with Charles Hunnam in the title role. Definitely the prettiest Nickleby you'll find in any version. I would expect nothing less from a star in Queer As Folk. He and Anne Hathaway certainly make an attractive pair of lovers.In fact though Hunnam's very bisexual appeal gives an added dimension to this version. The relationship with young Smike played tenderly and touchingly by Jamie Bell is what drives this particular story. The best scene in the film is the death scene of the crippled and sickly Smike with Jamie Bell giving so far a career role performance.Hunnam's antagonist throughout the film is his Uncle Ralph played by Christopher Plummer. He's the rich older brother of Hunnam and Romola Garai's father who makes out like he's interested in their welfare. In fact he sends young Nicholas to a cruel school run by Jim Broadbent and his wife Juliet Stevenson. As for Garai he essentially uses her as a come on to rich and dissolute minor nobility so they'll invest with his brokerage house.After giving Broadbent a well deserved thrashing Nicholas escapes the school with the crippled and sickly Bell. There is definitely a very homoerotic tinge to their relationship in their scenes together. In his short life Bell has experienced nothing but cruelty. Basically he falls in love with the first person who has shown him kindness and the fact that Hunnam is one beautiful twink is a bonus. All their scenes are beautifully played and will move you to tears.As for the end, let's say a lot of Plummer's sins come back to haunt him in the end and the Nickleby name is no longer disgraced. This is a wonderful version of the Dickens classic with an outstanding performance by Jamie Bell.

Having just finished the epic picaresque adventure that is Nicholas Nickleby, I was anticipating several of the filmed versions; this one does not disappoint, if for nothing else the career-capping fiendish performance by Christopher Plummer as the dark Uncle Ralph, whose living space is filled with birds pinned to the wall and stuffed cranes and skulls.Plummer's Uncle Ralph has been arrested in his emotional development and takes his frustration out on angelic Nicolas, his nephew. Nicholas, played with absolutely charm and believability by Charlie Hunnam, grows up as his adventures take him from Wackford Squeer's prison-like school for abandoned children to the dazzlingly colorful theatrical troupe run my Mr. And Mrs. Crummles--Nathan Lane, perfectly mated with Barry Humphreys in Victorian drag; Director McGrath and crew accurately reflect Dicken's contrasts of the dark sooty city of London and the halcyon greenery of the country, and while dozens of the novel's characters have been sacrificed to time, the true tenor and spirit of the novel, which includes Nicolas, the girl he loves and the faithful sadly twisted Smike, remains intact.This is a lovely adaptation of a long and complex book and the commitment of the cast and crew is wholly evident, producing a Dickens gem that captures the essence of the great novel in just over two hours.