--- title: "The Personal History of David Copperfield: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 26 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 26 reviews: 23 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics welcome Armando Iannucci’s adaptation as a funny, warm and energetic take on Dickens, with praise clustering around Dev Patel’s appealing lead performance and the spirited ensemble. Tilda Swinton and Hugh Laurie receive particular attention, while several reviews credit the colour-blind casting with making the characters feel fresh. The playful visual storytelling also wins broad approval, alongside an optimism that many find touching rather than merely cheerful. Reservations centre on the speed: compressed episodes and hurried subplots can weaken the drama, while some critics miss Dickens’s darker social concerns. Enthusiasm ranges from wholehearted delight to qualified approval, with no outright negative verdicts. IndieWire finds the restless visual transitions gimmicky despite admiring Patel and the film’s charm. The AV Club offers a sharper dissent, arguing that rushed, episodic storytelling largely defeats the drama, even as it praises the leading performance and theatrical framing. ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating 5/5. Simmonds finds Iannucci’s adaptation joyously funny and genuinely touching. She praises its blend of Dickensian humour with crooked comedy and its invigorating colour-blind casting. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-40t2kh/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield/) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 January 2020. Nugent calls the adaptation a breezy, brilliant treat, praising its buoyant, optimistic spirit. He singles out the energetic storytelling and memorable ensemble, while noting that the brisk pace sometimes sidelines Dickens’s social message. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2020. Chang finds the adaptation a witty, charming, and inventive take on Dickens, despite some patchiness and clumsiness. He especially praises its purposeful, richly varied casting and Dev Patel’s affecting performance. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-08-27/personal-history-david-copperfield-review-dev-patel-dickens) ## The Hollywood Reporter — John DeFore Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2019. Festival review. The critic finds the adaptation delightful, fast-moving and consistently entertaining. He especially praises its inventive visual transitions and Dev Patel’s charismatic performance. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/personal-history-david-copperfield-review-1237315/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2019. Festival review. Debruge finds the adaptation bright, funny, and delightfully modern while retaining Dickens’s Victorian setting. He especially praises Tilda Swinton’s consistently amusing performance as Aunt Betsey. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-review-1203325610/) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton Rating 4/5. 23 January 2020. Sexton finds the adaptation a delight, though he says its comic remixes make it only half very good. He especially praises Dev Patel’s performance and Tilda Swinton’s imperious, kind Betsey Trotwood. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-review-remixed-dickens-is-a-delight-to-treasure-a4342966.html) ## Little White Lies — Lou Thomas Rating 3/4/4. 21 January 2020. Thomas finds the adaptation fresh, funny and charming, with enough darkness to retain Dickens’s social themes. He especially praises the spirited ensemble, singling out several performances as scene-stealing. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield) ## Screen Daily — Allan Hunter Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2019. Festival review. Hunter gives the adaptation a positive verdict. He singles out Dev Patel’s performance as career-best. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-toronto-review/5142616.article) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Rating 4/5. 2 October 2019. Festival review. Bradshaw finds the adaptation genial, funny and richly satisfying, though it loses some of the novel’s darker pathos. He especially praises its hopeful energy and Hugh Laurie’s performance as Mr Dick. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/02/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-review-armano-iannucci) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2020. The review is positive about Armando Iannucci’s adaptation. It singles out the film’s exuberant, inventive approach to Dickens’s story. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/27/movies/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-review.html) ## Total Film — Matt Maytum Rating 4/5. 24 January 2020. The critic finds the adaptation fleet-footed, funny, and refreshingly lively. They particularly praise Dev Patel’s appealing lead performance and the entertaining supporting cast. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-review-a-dickens-adaptation-that-manages-to-feel-fresh/) ## Sight and Sound — BFI Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2019. The critic finds the adaptation inspired, energetic and full of brio, despite its occasionally overactive pace. They praise Dev Patel’s engaging lead and the film’s lively, mischievous storytelling. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/personal-history-david-copperfield-dev-patel-armando-iannucci-radical-rollicking-dickens-adaptation) ## Slant Magazine — Keith Uhlich Rating 3/4. 6 September 2019. The critic finds the adaptation unexpectedly optimistic and inventive, though its breakneck pace and unevenly developed subplots sometimes weaken its emotional impact. He praises the color-blind ensemble casting and the film’s vivid, Dickensian attention to language. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-armando-iannucci-the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield/) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Rating B-. 6 September 2019. Festival review. Kohn calls the film a charming but uneven adaptation and Iannucci’s first mixed bag. He praises Dev Patel’s convincing performance and the playful visual approach, while faulting the restless transitions for feeling gimmicky. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-review-armando-iannucci-1202171471/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2020. Lane finds the adaptation lively and hopeful, though it softens some of Dickens’s darker elements. He especially praises Hugh Laurie’s Mr. Dick and the film’s vivid, theatrical ensemble. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/09/07/charles-dickens-at-the-movies) ## Vulture — Alison Willmore Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2020. Willmore finds the film a sweet, buoyant adaptation that grows more moving as it unfolds, despite its sometimes overly gentle humor. She praises its warmth and visual imagination, especially the way David’s perspective shapes the story and its ending celebrates chosen family. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield.html) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Rating C+. 25 August 2020. The critic finds the adaptation occasionally funny but largely unsuccessful as drama, overwhelmed by rushed episodic storytelling. Dev Patel’s appealing Copperfield and the film’s theatrical framing are singled out as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/armando-iannucci-can-t-fast-talk-his-way-through-the-pe-1844822906) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 3/5. 2 October 2019. Rothkopf describes the adaptation as vibrant and as a holiday for director Armando Iannucci. The available review text singles out its lively approach to Dickens. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 9.5/10. 6 September 2019. Festival review. The critic finds the adaptation an utter joy, praising its warmth, wit, and lively storytelling. They single out the color-blind ensemble cast and the film’s playful visual framing for making Dickens’s characters memorable. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/568916/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-review/) ## Film Stories — Charlotte Harrison Rating 4Stars. 23 January 2020. Harrison praises the film as a funny, fresh, and satisfying adaptation. She singles out Dev Patel’s charming, deftly comedic performance as its anchor. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-review/) ## Den of Geek — Don Kaye Rating 4/5. 26 August 2020. The critic finds this an earnest, charming, and timely adaptation, though its brisk pace and compressed plot can weaken some events. He particularly praises the cast, singling out Ben Whishaw’s Uriah Heep performance. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-review-dev-patel/) ## NME — Alex Flood Rating 4/5. 6 January 2020. The critic finds Iannucci’s adaptation charming, funny and relevant without losing the spirit of Dickens. Dev Patel’s performance is singled out as the film’s finest, with the ensemble also praised for its comic energy. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-review-dev-patel-2598485) ## HeyUGuys — Adam Solomons Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. The critic finds the adaptation buoyant, funny, and a lively reinvention of Dickens. They praise its playful performances and visual flair, while noting that the rushed ending loses some momentum. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-review-tiff-2019/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2020. The critic finds the adaptation thoroughly charming and full of goodness. They praise the actors, especially Hugh Laurie, and the film’s lively, recurring comic turns. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield-2019-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2020. The review finds the film entertaining, though gentler and less pointedly funny than Iannucci’s previous work. It praises the exuberant supporting performances and the film’s open-hearted embrace of humanity’s diversity. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/personal-history-david-copperfield-film-review-armando-iannucci-dev-patel/) ## The Skinny — Katie Goh Rating ★★★. 10 September 2019. Festival review. Goh finds the adaptation charming and crowd-pleasing, though its brisk pacing wears thin. She singles out the energetic cast, especially Dev Patel, as its strongest asset. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/tiff-2019-the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield.md