71
Metascore
32 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90TimeRichard SchickelTimeRichard SchickelNow and then McGrath's film feels a bit rushed and breathless, but mostly you sink gratefully into its handsomely staged plenitude.
- 88Boston GlobeTy BurrBoston GlobeTy BurrA rambunctious joy.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversChristopher 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.
- 75Portland OregonianMarc MohanPortland OregonianMarc MohanAn 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?
- 75Miami HeraldConnie OgleMiami HeraldConnie OgleMcGrath has managed to turn Dickens into a cozy date movie. When was the last time anybody could make that claim?
- 75Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittIt's an uneven film, but Dickens admirers shouldn't miss it.
- 70The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensThe 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.
- 70Los Angeles TimesManohla DargisLos Angeles TimesManohla DargisMcGrath, who adapted the novel, manages to catch the flavor of it without its tang.
- 60Film ThreatPhil HallFilm ThreatPhil HallMcGrath's new film offers a treat for fans of Dickens and moviegoers who love to see a fairly large cast ham it up with delirious abandon.
- 50Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonWatchable, certainly. It should have been so much more.