One of Charles Dickens' best loved books gets the big-budget treatment with a fantastic cast.

The 800-page book is nicely condensed by Emma writer/director McGrath with the best bits intact.

After the death of his father Nicholas tries to provide for his mother and sister by heading off to London to plead for help from his rich Uncle Ralph (a brilliantly dry and heartless Christopher Plummer).

The evil Uncle sends Nicholas off to Wackford Squeers dingy Dotheboys school, where mistreated boys run the wrath of Mr Squeers (jim Broadbent on fine form) and the vicious Mrs Squeers (Juliet Stevenson being very evil and very funny.)

Nicholas befrends Smike (Jamie Bell), a crippled lad who is almost a slave to the Squeers family. The pair do a runner to try to find a better life a reuinte Nicholas with his family.

Along the way they encounter Nathan Lane's Vincent Crummles and his travelling players. Barry Humphries does a wonderful turn as Mrs Crummles and Alan Cumming is amusing as one of their Dickensian actors.

While Nicholas is out of the way Uncle Ralph is plotting to marry off his sister Kate (Romola Garai) to the lecherous Sir Mulberry (Edward Fox) to secure some stock-market investment.

The tragic part of the film is that while Dickens' writing feels fresh and the ensemble is solid, the lead Charlie Hunnam is shockingly wooden and simply can't lift the dialogue convincingly off the page.

His relationship with Smike, crucial to the film, comes across more like wet lovers than the book's jocular and ultimately heart-breaking friendship.

Aidan Conway