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The Personal History of David Copperfield

2019

Armando Iannucci

Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi ...

5.3

1,343

Drama A fresh and distinctive take on Charles Dickens' semi-autobiographical masterpiece, The Personal History of David Copperfield, set in the 1840s, chronicles the life of its iconic title character as he navigates a chaotic world to find his elusive place within it. From his unhappy childhood to the discovery of his gift as a storyteller and writer, David's journey is by turns hilarious and tragic, but always full of life, color and humanity. [+]

	Author	Review
United States	John DeFore The Hollywood Reporter	"Delightful (...) it pleases without pandering, and has found an ideal title character in the form of the always winning Dev Patel"	POS
United States	Peter Debruge Variety	"[It] comes across as a bright and jaunty corrective to the dour and stuffy Dickens adaptations that have come before (...) An attempt to rescue the writer from the musty category of 'literature'."	POS
United States	Eric Kohn IndieWire	"Iannucci’s warm-hearted adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic has good intentions (...) But even then, the intermittent charm suffers from the choppiness of Iannucci’s approach, which veers from nuttiness to earnest restraint"	NEU
United Kingdom	Allan Hunter Screendaily	"Dev Patel gives a career best performance (...) 'A treat for Dickens fans (...) [The movie] is so alive and immediate that it should also connect with an audience who would never dream of tackling a weighty 19th century tome"	POS
United States	Anna Swanson Film School Rejects	"[It] is certainly amusing at times, but at others, it’s a touch too cutesy and kitschy (...) The film’s somber details are rushed in favor of twee whimsy that becomes grating."	NEU
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"Everything rattles and zings like a pinball machine, and it’s a bracing, entertaining, richly satisfying experience (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
	Kaleem Aftab Cineuropa	"It's an intricate work that, because of its nature and ambition, is also hard to classify and love (...) It's bewildering and a little frustrating at times, but it's mainly audacious, rambunctious and highly original."	NEU
United Kingdom	Robbie Collin Telegraph	"There is something wonderfully unexpected – and perhaps even subversive – in responding to our fraught times with a tale in which wit and goodness win through in the end (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Chris Hunneysett Mirror	"Fresh, contemporary, provocative (...) Thankfully the story favours community over individualism"	POS
United Kingdom	Charlotte O'Sullivan London Evening Standard	"Patel is superb (...) Ben Whishaw excels (...) All hail this showcase for the talent of Iannucci (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Johnny Oleksinski New York Post	"The many, many liberties Scottish director Armando Iannucci takes with Charles Dickens’ story are what makes this film such an unexpected joy to watch (...) Every cast member is hilarious. Dickens will be LOL’ing in his grave (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"	POS
Ireland	James W. Anderson entertainment.ie	"It is a bright, snappy and colourful film, so those looking for some light merriment that doesn’t outstay it’s welcome, you’ll get your money’s worth (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS

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