Nicholas Nickleby (2002 film) The film received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 77% out of 122 professional critics gave the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6.8/10 and the critical consensus being: "Thanks to a strong cast of experienced actors and director Douglas McGrath's steady hand, "Nicholas Nickleby" is a worthy and respectful adaptation of the Dickens novel." In his review in "The New York Times", A. O. Scott called the film "two hours of swift, engaging entertainment" and added, "The book's theme and spirit have been dutifully respected. No, what Mr. McGrath has done with
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1947 film) this overabundance also hampers the rounding of characters . . . Withal, "Nicholas Nickleby" is amusing as a chromo of Dickensian life. It is only that "Great Expectations" has led us to expect so much more". Reviewing a revival, "Time Out London" observed, "For a director who dabbled in the avant-garde, Cavalcanti makes surprisingly little of the surreal possibilities of this convoluted Dickensian nightmare. As in "Champagne Charlie" he collaborated with art director Michael Relph to create an impressively atmospheric Victorian London, but stylish visuals hardly compensate for the flat, cursory rendering of some of Dickens' best drawn characters. Only