This has really been a banner year for the period film. We've had Gerwig's spectacular 'Little Women', Autumn de Wilde's wondrous adaptation of 'Emma.', and on television, the bombastic imagination of 'The Great'. Armando Iannucci's 'The Personal History of David Copperfield', even with its flaws, sits beautifully beside them. This film left me giddy with joy, my eyes filled with tears, leaping from my seat with every rapturous surprise and unexpected burst of imagination. It brims over with humanity, humour and heart, and reminds us of the importance of these things for a rich and satisfying life. This is an absolute gem of a film, and one of my favourite of this year so far.
- Daniel Lammin

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https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-a-rhapsodic-delight-on-taking-ownership-of-our-own-stories

I'm not Armando Iannucci's biggest fan so saw this at the Opening Gala of the London Film Festival with some trepidation. Unfortunately, I wasn't pleasantly surprised. Dev Patel does bring some charm to the proceedings, but the attempts at comedy in this retelling of Dickens' classic just don't work for me at all. Ben Whishaw and Tilda Swinton appear to be fish out of water and whilst it is good to see Hugh Laurie back on the big screen it all comes across as a bit of a hotch-potch of ideas and aspirations. The book's original questioning of Victorian values around child exploitation and of more general social attitudes seem to have been largely sidelined, robbing the story of much of it's heart and soul. It is also quite unnecessarily lengthy at just shy of two hours. As you'd expect, it is a good film to look at, featuring some very picturesque East Anglian villages that probably haven't changed anything like as much as this story from the days of Charles Dickens himself.

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Based on Charles Dickens' novel, The Personal History of David Copperfield is the first Armando Ianucci's film I ever watched. I didn't really know much about this movie besides its stellar cast. I'm not the biggest fan of biographical works. Usually, I find them too constricted to the genre's formulas, and if I don't think the protagonist's life is remotely entertaining, then the whole film crumbles. Fortunately, it's not the case of this Ianucci's adaptation. It's one of the most pleasant surprises of the year, I finished it with a massive smile on my face.

David Copperfield's life is portrayed in such a captivating, entertaining, genuine, heartfelt manner, but always maintaining this sort of lightness. There's always something positive coming out of even the worst of situations. Actually, I think that's the best message transmitted to the viewer: it doesn't matter how horrible your life might be at a particular moment, it will only get better if you don't give up, and if you surround yourself with true friends and family. Throughout the runtime, David shares his life with different families and friends, working and living in the poorest and wealthiest places.

His lifestyle changes drastically after each new significant development in his journey to become a writer, and it's such a joy to watch him grow up. From working like a slave in a factory and being homeless to living in a boathouse and eventually in a mansion like a true gentleman, David goes through all of the obstacles life throws at him, learning from them to become a better person. A really nice touch is the distinct names that people call him throughout his life, depending on where he lives/works and who's he talking to: Davy, Doady, Daisy, Trotwood… These might be merely different nicknames for David, but they mean much more. They're a tiny yet efficient detail that remarkably distinguishes his unique lifestyles.

Ianucci and Simon Blackwell do a terrific job with the screenplay, by offering Dev Patel an exceptional platform to shine. The whole cast delivers outstanding performances that elevate the movie in an invaluable way. Patel is an excellent protagonist, and I don't want to diminish his extraordinary display, but he's only as great as his counterparts. Tilda Swinton (Betsey Trotwood) and Hugh Laurie (Mr Dick) form a hilarious couple, deeply important to help David rise from the ground. Peter Capaldi brilliantly portrays Mr Micawber, a family man with immense debts, who teaches young David (impressively represented by Jairaj Varsani) how London works by escaping his creditors.

Darren Boyd and Gwendoline Christie use their physical attributes to interpret the evil Murdstone brothers, who employ extreme, violent measures to educate David. Everyone involved in bringing the Peggotty family to life is as essential as the family's importance to the protagonist. Benedict Wong (Mr Wickfield) shows his funny side once again, as Morfydd Clark is charming enough as Dora Spenlow and Clara Copperfield. Aneurin Barnard (James Steerforth) becomes David's best friend, but his final arc doesn't quite fit the film, in my opinion, prolonging the latter for a few unnecessary extra minutes.

So, as you might have figured, every cast member has a vital role to play in some shape or form. All are incredibly fun to watch, making this two-hour flick flow tremendously well. Technically, the production and costume design are award-worthy. The XIX century streets, houses, and clothes are really immersive, creating a realistic environment, elevated even more by the subtle yet powerful score (Christopher Willis). Seamless editing (Mick Audsley, Peter Lambert) and impeccable cinematography (Zac Nicholson) also help the movie's pacing and even contribute for a few transition jokes.

All in all, The Personal History of David Copperfield is one of the most entertaining biographical works I've ever seen, as well as one of the most pleasant surprises of 2020. It's one of those films that leaves you with a huge smile, from ear to ear. As the viewer, watching David Copperfield's journey to becoming a writer is so captivating and fun, not only due to the humorous screenplay, but mainly because it's such an honest, emotional, genuine story. Only a few minutes in, and I already wanted him to succeed in life. My emotional attachment to the protagonist was so strong that I couldn't help myself drop a couple of tears by the end. I don't have enough words to describe how wonderful every cast member is and how important each role has in David's life. Dev Patel is an impressive lead, but his performance is elevated by the work of his counterparts. It's technically flawless, but the story and its characters make this movie an absolute delight to watch.

Definitely, one of the best films of the year, so don't you dare miss it!

Rating: A-

If it’s possible, this is a lighthearted popcorn film that is also a faithful adaptation of a Charles Dickens novel.

I think a lot of people expect more from Dickens than he was prepared to give. This movie was a series of satirical, funny, sad, painful, hopeful character sketches. If that’s what Dickens means to you, this adaptation will scratch that itch. If you’re looking for a strong narrative, or a faithful reproduction of a notoriously unadaptable series-novel, then you will be disappointed.

Similarly, if you are expecting another Iannucci tour de force, you will also be disappointed, but you may enjoy the craftwork. He really did a great job bringing the thematic loops of the novel to the big screen, although he obviously was forced to cut some character arcs out to barely make the two hour mark. As a consolation, he performs some very fun metanarrative tricks that never removed me from the reality of the action.

Either way, it contains some excellent sets and costumes as well as some modern luminaries of British cinema having a good time.

Bizarrely enough, the scale felt huge while the budget felt small. Do studios not yet realize that Armando Iannucci is a modern satirical genius?

I enjoyed watching this movie, but I would be selective in recommending it. I suppose that’s true of the novel itself.

Armando Iannucci and Simon Blackwell were always going to have a task at hand without worrying about what a few dyed-in-the-wool racists think about having a black actor playing a white actor’s mum and that task is the same as anyone who tries to commit well-loved Dickens novel to the cinema. It the fact that the length of a film cannot fit all the nuance and intricacies of most, if not all, of Dickens novels.

So we end up with quick cuts, exclusions and skimming from the original text, so as it ever was.

Iannucci is well known for his scalpel-sharp wit and take on both modern and historical politics showing it up for all of its redundancy, pomp and ridiculousness but clearly the modern world and our glorious leaders have made his take on this redundant. So why not to Dickens who stories were equally scapel sharp, astute comments on Victorian Britain?

This take on David Copperfield flows with an eccentric oddball humour from the off and we are swept along with some speed through the title character’s trials and tribulations. Unfortunately this is at the expense of supporting characters so we only get thumbnail sketches of them and it depends on the skill of the actor whether you connect with the person on the screen. Due to some excellent casting and some great locations in general the film gets away with it.

Dev Patel is uniformly excellent in anything he puts his hand to and his kind-hearted and honest David Copperfield is no exception and luckily he is ably supported by Peter Capaldi as an unlikely Mr. Micawber, as optimistic as ever, and a myriad of experienced and talented actors from Hugh Laurie, in a role that seems to have been waiting for Hugh Laurie over the years, Tilda Swinton carrying on her quest to seemingly play only strange and eccentric people, and the aforementioned Rosalind Eleazar as Agnes who captured all attention as soon as he appeared on the screen for me. Ben Whishaw must be mentioned in dispatches as everyone’s favourtie slimey, hang-wringing Uriah Heep, black hat firmly in place but oddly just enough sympathy at the closing stages of the film.

The problem is not in the direction, writing, cinematography, sets or acting but rather the material and after enjoying and watching The Personal History of David Copperfield you feel as if some large part of it was left on the editing floor, it wasn’t it was simply this was storytelling pared down to fit in with cinema running times and modern audiences.

As such the film did a good job and all those involved such proud and pleased with their efforts, Unfortunately though, and I say this with a heavy-heart being an admirer of Armando Innaunci, this film proved to me that David Copperfield would be best served with a high-value production TV series with enough episodes to do the story justice.

Still fun enough for a Sunday afternoon viewing with all the family