The Personal History of David Copperfield movie review by Movie Review Mom

MOVIE TITLE: The Personal History of David Copperfield 2020

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour, 59 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

This self-indulgent “woke” dramedy was directed by Armando Iannucci and loosely based on the novel by Charles Dickens. It premiered in Canada last fall and was then released in the United Kingdom just weeks before the pandemic closed theaters around the world. While it’s not everyone’s cup of 19th century British tea, the performances are excellent, the storytelling is creative, and the experience is lovely.

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TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Some people fight. One of them gets bloody.
Some sexual innuendo.
Most children will be very bored.

THEMES:

Hope
Determination
Imagination
Friendship
Loyalty
Community, family
Charity
Kindness

THINGS I LIKED:

Dev Patel is wonderful and carries the film, like he always does in every film he’s in.
The fantastic cast also includes award-winning actors Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw, Hugh Laurie, Gwendoline Christie, and Benedict Wong.
I love how David Copperfield keeps notes of fantastic lines. When I was a little girl, I started doing the same thing. I just knew I was going to be an author someday. I just didn’t know exactly what I was going to write. You can find all 31 of my non-fiction books on Amazon!
Beautiful cinematography.
Some of the locations used in the filming are Kingston Upon Hull’s Old Town in Yorkshire, and Angel Hotel in Bury St. Edmund, where Charles Dickens once stayed and where he wrote part of the book The Pickwick Papers : Classic Edition With Original Illustrations.
The film boasts color-blind casting.
Beautiful costume design.
There is some humor that made me laugh out loud.
There’s a freshness to it that helps to justify its existence and keep you interested.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some viewers are not fans of messing with the classic tale.
I didn’t understand why “No donkeys!” was supposed to be funny.
Why have the same actress play both Clara Copperfield AND Dora Spenlow? That’s not to say she didn’t do an outstanding job, because she did. It was just a bit confusing at first.

FUNNY LINES:

…”like the Bible story. I’m sure there’s a Bible story about that…” – Mrs. Micawber (Bronagh Gallagher)
“I’ve been attempting to learn gentlemen’s humor from a book.” – Uriah Heep (Ben Whishaw)

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