The Personal History of David Copperfield

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The Personal History of David Copperfield

PG

Released Aug 28, 2020

1h 59m

Comedy

Drama

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92%

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249 Reviews

54%

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500+ Ratings

The life of David Copperfield is chronicled from his youth into adulthood.

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Critics Consensus

The Personal History of David Copperfield puts a fresh, funny, and utterly charming spin on Dickens' classic, proving some stories truly are timeless.

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James Parker

The Atlantic

[A] mad, loving, and brilliantly cinematic extrapolation of the novel...

Feb 5, 2021

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Shubhra Gupta

The Indian Express

It is Dev Patel who carries this ensemble with great flair, looking every inch the boy who has fallen upon hard times and longs to be recognised as the gentleman he is.

Rated: 3.5/5

Dec 16, 2020

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Jake Coyle

Associated Press

An exuberantly optimistic film celebrating the life force of art and eccentricity. Who couldn't use a little of that right now.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 30, 2020

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Emma Simmonds

Radio Times

Iannucci's work is often steeped in cynicism but here his affection for the material is overwhelmingly evident; by adapting a beloved author, the director has finally found his heart.

Rated: 5/5

Aug 30, 2024

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Calum Cooper

Source (Scotland)

If In the Loop and The Death of Stalin showcased humanity at its most selfish or incompetent, then The Personal History of David Copperfield depicts humanity at its most empathetic and merry.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 14, 2024

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Serena Seghedoni

Loud and Clear Reviews

The Personal History of David Copperfield is a wonderfully absurd adaptation of Dickens' classic tale that sometimes fails to hit the mark but still does the novel justice.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 29, 2023

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M J

I watched 40 minutes with my wife before stopping to look up reviews and confirm that its not just me… This movie feels like a rushed theatre club excitedly performing an incessantly long David Copperfield themed improv scene with exaggerated characters acting manically. The plot moves quickly, people speak quickly, and often speaking nonsense. I feel like the actors don’t even believe the characters they’re portraying.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/19/24

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Kyle M

Even with sporadic quirky charm well-delivered by certain cast, it doesn’t mutually uphold worthwhile engagement except for those who admire the material’s literature canon, otherwise it’s eventfully unsatisfactory. (B-)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/29/24

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katymei

is it incredibly faithful to the book? not particularly. was it very lovely anyway? yes!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/16/24

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Alec B

I'm not convinced that a Whimsical film adaptation is entirely appropriate for Dickens. That said it is enjoyable enough to warrant a viewing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

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Lucy M

I've read the book and know the story well. I was prepared for a different take on the story and I love Dev Patel. My 2 stars have nothing to do with the casting! I was enjoying the film until David got to Betsey Trotwood's house and met Hugh Laurie. From that point on, it started to fall apart and became increasingly ridiculous. Yes it was funny in parts (Ben Whishaw as Uriah Heep was the best thing in the whole film) but it skipped around so much, I didn't care for any of the characters or what happened to them. DC is a fantastically emotional and even tragic story but this was just trying to be clever for the sake of it, and wasn't particularly funny. Switched off after 1 hr 20 minutes as we were bored. Do yourself a favour and listen to the Audible adaptation of DC by Sam Mendes starring Ncuti Gatwa instead - it's fantastic.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/07/24

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bob c

FCs! A movie about David Copperfield as an Indian. The critics might like it, but yer average person?

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/21/24

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Armando Iannucci

Director

Dev Patel

David Copperfield

Tilda Swinton

Betsey Trotwood

Hugh Laurie

Mr. Dick

Peter Capaldi

Mr. Micawber

Ben Whishaw

Uriah Heep

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The Personal History of David Copperfield: Movie Clip

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The Personal History of David Copperfield: Featurette - A Cast of Characters

2:18

The Personal History of David Copperfield: Featurette - First Look

1:52

The Personal History of David Copperfield: Trailer 1

2:03

The Personal History of David Copperfield: International Trailer 1

1:45

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Synopsis

The life of David Copperfield is chronicled from his youth into adulthood.

Director: Armando Iannucci
Producer: Armando Iannucci, Kevin Loader
Screenwriter: Armando Iannucci, Simon Blackwell
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Production Co: Film 4, Wishmore, FilmNation Entertainment
Rating: PG (Thematic Material|Brief Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 28, 2020, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 17, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.9M
Runtime: 1h 59m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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