Nicholas Nickleby film review

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NICHOLAS NICKLEBY

There is much to praise about this latest version of Dickens' classic novel. The sumptuous cast bring his vivid characters to full splendour, and writer/director Douglas McGrath's assured telling of the episodic story richly evokes every strata of life in Victorian England. What hinders this from being an exemplary interpretation is the performance of the less than talented Charlie Nunnam in the pivotal title role. His limp portrayal of Nickleby, allied to his improbable good looks and questionable accent, meant that what should have been the film's primary focus instead became a distraction. Although the rest of the cast did a sterling job in trying to fill the void, ultimately it was even beyond their considerable abilities.

Dickens creates such a full and vibrant world, it becomes all consuming. The squalour and tragedy he so often writes of is always coated in a veneer of humour and romanticism. It's a feature McGrath brings to the fore. Nicholas Nickleby places its emphasis on the love story between Nickleby and the beautiful Madeline Bray (Anne Hathaway), while enlivening things with hilarious cameos from Nathan Lane, Barry Humphries in his Dame Edna guise, Alan Cumming, Tom Courtenay and Timothy Spall.

Nickleby's adventures begin at the tender age of 19 when his father dies and he, his mother (Stella Gonet) and his young sister Kate (Romola Garai) are dispatched from their once idyllic country life to seek the help of their callous uncle Ralph (Christopher Plummer) in London. Nicholas is promptly set to work as a teacher at Dotheboys Hall, a bleak establishment for orphans, run by the miserly and cruel Wackford Squeers (Jim Broadbent) and his even more sadistic wife (Juliet Stevenson). Nickleby's compassionate approach brings him into conflict with the Squeers. Following a fight, Nickleby leaves, taking with him the crippled and devoted Smike (Jamie Bell).

He then falls in with a travelling theatre troupe run by the flamboyant Vincent Crummles (Nathan Lane), taking over the role of Romeo. Things are finally looking up for Nicholas when he is compelled to return to London to defend his sister from the lascivious advances of one of their uncle's associates, the repellent Sir Mulberry Hawk (Edward Fox). It is then he encounters Madeline, an artist whose work takes second place to her role of dutiful daughter as she tends to her invalid and irascible father. Their blossoming romance becomes intertwined with the story's darker threads.