The Personal History of David Copperfield

PG

Released Aug 28, 2020

1h 59m

Comedy

Drama

TRAILER

for The Personal History of David Copperfield: Trailer 1

List

92%

Tomatometer

250 Reviews

54%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

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

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent The Personal History of David Copperfield on Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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.

Read Critics Reviews

James Parker

The Atlantic

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

Feb 5, 2021

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Manuel São Bento

MSB Reviews

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.

Rated: A-

Jul 24, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

04/12/24

Full Review

Amber L. C

If you're looking for a faithful adaptation of David Copperfield, you're better off with Masterpiece Theater. This, instead, is a decidedly more delightful and whimsical romp through the adventures of David Copperfield. The acting is fantastic, the art direction is beautiful, and the departures from the original tale are just creative enough to keep you guessing as to what happens next.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/19/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Armando Iannucci

Director

Dev Patel

David Copperfield

Tilda Swinton

Betsey Trotwood

Hugh Laurie

Mr. Dick

Peter Capaldi

Mr. Micawber

Ben Whishaw

Uriah Heep

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

The Personal History of David Copperfield: Movie Clip

1:31

View more videos

Turtle Diary

82%

73%

Turtle Diary

Menashe

95%

65%

Menashe

TRAILER

for Menashe

Footnote

88%

72%

Footnote

102 Not Out

50%

80%

102 Not Out

TRAILER

for 102 Not Out

Dean Spanley

88%

81%

Dean Spanley

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

All Upcoming Disney Movies: New Disney Live-Action, Animation, Pixar, Marvel, 20th Century, And Searchlight

2022 Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month TV & Streaming Calendar

Best-Reviewed Movies & TV 2020

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

View more videos

View more photos

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)

Most Popular at Home Now