One of Charles Dickens’ best-loved (and most complex) stories receives its fourth feature film adaptation in this lively historical comedy-drama. After Nicholas’ father dies and leaves the family penniless, the Nickleby family moves to London to stay with their Uncle Ralph. Ralph turns abusive and separates the family, which includes sending Nicholas to the cruel and wicked Wackford Squeers. At this, Nicholas sets up an escape from the school and sets off to reunite the Nickleby family.
Set in the Victorian era, this version advances the time frame from the 1830s to the 1850s.
The director has produced a colorful, affecting collage of Dickensian moods and motifs, a movie that elicits an overwhelming desire to plunge into 900 pages of 19th-century prose. – The New York Times
Starring Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay, Alan Cumming, Edward Fox, Romola Garai, Anne Hathaway, Dame Edna Everage, Charlie Hunnam.
Rated PG