When most people hear the name Charles Dickens, they get a hit wit a rush of memories from their required reading in high school. So when those same people hear about a new comedy based on a novel by Dickens, they’ll probably assume there will be some Muppets involved. I can assure you that is not the case when it comes to Searchlight Pictures’ new film The Personal History of David Copperfield.
To be fair, The Personal History of David Copperfield is not so much a comedy as it is a satire in the classic novel sense of the word. Then again, if you’re sense of humor still fits in with the people of the year 1849, the year in which this novel was published, you might find the film hilarious. Who am I to judge?
It’s not that the film is completely devoid of humor. There are quite a few chuckles scattered throughout. What the movie will not deliver is true laugh out loud moments. Still, you’re likely to find yourself smiling quietly throughout the majority of the film.
The Personal History of David Copperfield is a coming of age story about a young man who comes from nothing, makes something of himself, loses everything and claws his way back to the top. I use the word “story” in the loosest possible sense because there isn’t really much of a story to tell. Instead, this film leans almost entirely on the characters, who are for the most part completely over-the-top ridiculous and yet still entertaining.
Dev Patel, who plays the titular character, is as charming and likeable a leading man as you can possibly have in a film that so desperately needs one. Without his performance, the barely-story and dry humor would have simply put audiences to sleep.
The majority of the rest of the cast is not far behind Patel in terms of their likability. Rosalind Eleazar (Agnes) and Morfydd Clark (Dora) have an incredibly easy chemistry with Patel that will have audiences smiling – and in some instances quietly chuckling – during their shared scenes. Daisy May Cooper (Peggotty), Anthony Welsh (Ham) and others are so endearing that it becomes impossible not to root for them, while Ben Whishaw (Uriah Heep) and Darren Boyd (Murdstone) achieve the exact opposite.
Tilda Swinton (Betsey Trotwood) and Hugh Laurie (Mr. Dick) are absolute scene-stealers. To the point of their introduction (or re-introduction in Trotwood’s case), the humor in this film is very dry and in some cases almost cringeworthy. Swinton and Laurie turn it around, with Laurie especially standing out. Again, don’t expect a laugh riot, but scenes with these characters are worth at least a few quick closed-mouth nose exhales.
The cast and characters are truly the pillars of this film though. The story is really a retelling of the Copperfield’s life as he explains it to an audience on stage, and it comes across exactly as such. Imagine a complete stranger explaining their entire life story to you entirely from memory. Things are bound to be left out as the story skips from one scene to the next without really explaining how they got from A to B or the motives and intentions of the other characters involved. That’s exactly how this story is told and it can be a bit odd at times. And to take things even further, at several points in the story Copperfield is telling us, we see him writing the story he is simultaneously telling has not yet told. Take that, Christopher Nolan!
Another problem into which this film runs is the pacing. This isn’t surprising, as it is often problematic trying to convert a 600+ page novel into a two-hour movie. Still, some aspects of Copperfield’s life feel rushed over and many scenes boast a words-per-minute count that would rival that of Gilmore Girls. Throw in the various accents and dialects and you’re bound to miss at least a few words here and there.
Overall, The Personal History of David Copperfield is a very dry film with some very enjoyable characters. It’s a bit perplexing as I found myself bouncing back and forth between being entertained and being bored. It’s not a movie I would likely find myself watching again, though I could see this film finding a role as a “comfort movie” for many people. It’s a very easy movie to throw on while relaxing at home, even if it’s not exactly the funniest comedy you’ll see in the theater.
The Personal History of David Copperfield is in theaters now.