By Tom and Marilyn Jozwik
HE: I’ve never read the novel “David Copperfield,” so I can’t say how closely the new movie “The Personal History of David Copperfield” resembles Charles Dickens’ tale of a somewhat autobiographical protagonist and his quirky associates.
I can say that Armando Iannucci’s dramedy moves along briskly and entertainingly as it follows David (played mostly by Dev Patel) from cradle to literary renown. Copperfield’s cohorts include such heavyweights of literature as the slippery Mr. Micawber and the unctuous Uriah Heep; respectively, actors Peter Capaldi and Ben Whishaw do those characters proud. Ditto Hugh Laurie as Mr. Dick and Tilda Swinton as Betsey Trotwood. As for Patel, the non-comedian handles his heavy-on-comedy role deftly.
In short, “The Personal History’s” well-rendered characters represent a fitting offshoot of the creativity that first produced young David, old Micawber, et al. in the 1800s.
A remarkable feature of the film is its so-called colorblind casting. Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire”; “Lion “), a London-born actor of Indian origin who plays a character created by Dickens as a Caucasian, is the preeminent—but not the only—example. Such a casting system, which has become rather prominent on our stages, remains uncommon in the cinema. But it works rather well in “The Personal History” and its producers are to be commended for it.
Dev Patel and Hugh Laurie star in “The Personal History of David Copperfield.”
SHE: I, too, had never read Dickens’ “Copperfield,” though I have read other Dickens works and seen other derivative movies. Iannucci doesn’t get bogged down in soaring music, sweeping panoramas, weighty drama like these sorts of period pieces often do. While there is a decidedly Victorian patina, there is a light and whimsical quality about “The Personal History of David Copperfield” that is character-driven, with outstanding performances throughout. It at times looks like a Victorian carnival fun-house with more than a few demonstrations of wry wit and humor.
Patel as writer Copperfield appears from the beginning, even as a narrator at his own birth, and then pops in at times during his childhood to provide more commentary. Young Copperfield endures a brutal stepfather (Mr. Murdstone), a stint in Murdstone’s factory, his mother’s death (hidden from him by his stepfather) and a short stay with the debt-riddled Micawbers – who soon find themselves on the street. Throughout these and other trials and tribulations – his relatives moving into his small apartment, losing his job – Copperfield never loses an almost childlike optimism that is buoyed by Patel’s expressive, wide-eyed and often humorous view, of his character’s world. Iannucci’s characters are well-defined – Capaldi’s likeably bemused, concertina-playing Micawber; Laurie’s off-kilter, Charles I-obsessed Mr. Dick; Darren Boyd’s horribly mean Murdstone; Whishaw’s Uriah Heep; Rosalind Eleazar’s steady, sensible Agnes.
Scenes tumble quickly into one another, the lows are balanced by the highs – David’s loving relationship with his mother and his nanny, Mrs. Pegotty (Daisy May Cooper), his dream-like visits to Mrs. Pegotty’s family’s upside-down boat on the seashore, his success in school and work.
Among my favorite scenes in this two-hour, PG-rated film are those with Copperfield’s love interest, Dora (ironically played by the same actress who plays Copperfield’s mother, Morfydd Clark). Those scenes play out like a quirky modern comedy with the somewhat dim Dora and the tongue-tied Copperfield playfully bouncing lines off each other. In one moment, Copperfield lovingly tosses a bouquet of flowers at her, and Dora affectionately responds.
“The Personal History” meanders, yet moves with the action, taking our modeled-on-Dickens protagonist quickly through his young life and the people who came and went and made a difference. The screenplay, co-written by Iannucci and Simon Blackwell, successfully distills a rambling autobiographical story and at one point a character (who had a much bigger role in the novel) simply announces she is removing herself from the story.
It’s unfortunate during this time of the pandemic that Iannucci’s take on Dickens’ famed novel may not be able to be seen by large theater audiences, which is what it deserves.
B+
Dev Patel, Rosilind Eleazar and Hugh Laurie stare in “The Personal History of David Copperfield.”