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So much so that her husband forgets to name her when introducing his family. Charles Dickens was always fascinated by very young, slender, virginal girls, they are venerated in all his novel. His wife had been such a girl when he married her, but after giving him ten children in a period without anesthetic, she has naturally gained weight and aged. He may tell himself the classic, "my wife doesn't understand me," but it's clear he really just wants a new young, slender girl. The film itself doesn't seem to buy the story that his wife is intellectually boring but instead clearly shows Dickens flinching in disgust when he looks at his wife.

Neither are we shown any brilliance of mind in Nelly as the actress maintains a slack jawed, rabbit-like expression through most of her scenes.

Most biographies depict Dickens as not only treating his wife as invisible, but openly ridiculing her and inventing ways to be cruel to her. We see an example of that here when he makes her take his gift of jewelry to his mistress.

Why we should find this affair romantic I don't know. It's boring and trite and, worst of all, taints any future reading of his novels. A film about the life of Catherine Dickens sounds much more interesting.

This movie isn't as good as the book, but then neither were "Gone With the Wind," or "The Godfather," and they are all three great movies.

This is the story of a boy who loses the only loving person in his life and is suddenly dependent on the kindness, or not, of strangers and one estranged relative. These people make up the wonderfully portrayed characters in this film who shape the young man he becomes.

Theo's grief is inconsolable, partly because he blames himself, and his only comfort is a package wrapped in a blanket that in it's softness over bone-like hardness is the physical as well as emotional connection with his lost loved one.

His world goes from a privileged life in New York, to having to steal and cook his own food in California, to a career that uses his artistic eye for detail and a soul still struggling to find the sense of belonging he lost.

Truly absorbing and moving.

I had read the book so I was aware of this almost unbelievable, true story of two brilliant men working together to create something never before even imagined, but the movie itself exceeded all my expectations, with it's wonderful acting and beautiful scenes.

Watching Dr. Minor's room in the asylum fill with books and notes as he worked on the dictionary was a visual I'll never forget. How long I have waited to see someone with severe mental illness portrayed realistically, from his worst psychotic episodes to his quiet ordinary days. Sean Penn did a wonderful job. It brought tears to my eyes to see him struggling to do his dedicated work in spite of the distractions of his paranoia and delusions.