The Personal History Of David Copperfield (2020) Review

The Personal History Of David Copperfield (2020) Review

 This film has a pretty star studded cast so I went to see The Personal History Of David Copperfield and this is my review for the film. The premise of the film goes through the life of David Copperfield as it shows him meeting plenty of eccentric characters that will steer his life in many different directions. 

Main Character

Dev Patel plays David Copperfield in this film and I feel like he does an okay job in this film, he has a mixed performance for me. In some scenes he does a great job, with some really powerful scenes and some really good dramatic acting in the film, but he does what pretty much everybody does in this film and that is overact. This character just comes across as a bit of a mean guy and a bit wacky without much explanation, there is also a part of the film that makes him seem quite creepy which doesn't help for the character. I actually felt more sympathy for the character in his early years as a child then I did when he grew up to be Patel. 

Supporting Characters

As seen in the poster this film has a vast cast but I will just talk about the main characters that support Patel in the film. Tilda Swinton plays his aunt in the film and she does a good job in the film, she fits into this film well and is fun to watch her perform in the role that she clearly enjoys. Hugh Laurie plays a big role in the film and he does a good job too, his character is probably the weirdest in the film and at times it just feels too weird but Laurie manages to add enough charm to the performance to make you like him in the end. Ben Wishaw does a really good job as a slimy, creepy character in the film and you really will not like him which is the point of his character so a good job by the actor. The only performance I didn't really care for was Peter Capaldi's his accent was all over the place and his character just wasn't particularly likeable in my opinion, the film tries to make you care but I just didn't really care about him or his family in the film.

Story

Now I will admit that it is interesting seeing the journey of David Copperfield in the film, he goes many different places and encounters many different places which provides many different interesting social situations. However, it is also a problem with this film, it tries to cram so many different stories in the film that unsuprisingly some are more interesting then others and this takes away from the overall quality of the film. Also the ending of the film leaves some characters fates unrevealed which hurts there stories through the film.

Script

The dialogue has a mix of some decent dramatic dialogue and some chuckle worthy humor for sure, but nothing ever really stands out. It is all okay which from a cast like this I would be hoping for some great dialogue and memorable lines but it is just pretty forgettable.

Style

This film looks great, it fits the time period that it is set in and you do feel like you are following Copperfield all around the country. But as alluded to earlier the pacing of the film is a big issue, it feels like this might have even been better suited as a mini series then a film due to the amount of content they try and fit into this short amount of time. Also there are just some headscratching castings which just don't really make any sense, I get the director was trying to be very inclusive but at times it just makes absolutley no sense which takes you out of the film and the experience.

Overall

It seems most days, performances in films can drag average films to higher levels and this film is no different, some good performances in this film drag it to an above average level but I would only recommend this film if you are a real fan of British Cinema or of Charles Dickens as this might be a better experience for you. 

Rating - 6/10