Christopher Plummer steals the show without resorting to camp as Nicholas' wounded and wounding Uncle Ralph. It's a great performance and a reminder of Dickens' grandeur. This Cliff's Notes of a film, though lively fun, only hints at that.
75
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
An enjoyable sojourn into the world of Dickens and could inspire a trend. Shakespeare and Austen have had their Hollywood moments during the past few years; why not the proto-Hollywood Dickens?
75
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
McGrath has managed to turn Dickens into a cozy date movie. When was the last time anybody could make that claim?
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
It's an uneven film, but Dickens admirers shouldn't miss it.
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.