The Personal History of David Copperfield - A Fun and Whimsy Mindless Film
No such announcement for an upcoming film has quite perplexed me as Armando Iannucci's 'The Personal History of David Copperfield'. Ianucci is one of my all-time favourite comedic writers, I rewatch 'The Thick of It' religiously and both 'Death of Stalin' and 'Veep' are equally impressive. But hearing that he was moving on to do a PG Dickens adaptation was baffling to be quite honest and as impressive as the cast seemed my brain could not see the correlation between Iannucci and the source material. To be totally honest, there is hardly any correlation, this isn't an Iannucci film by any factor it feels more like 'Paddington Does Dickens' which is weird and it's hard to separate my love for Iannucci with how this film is nothing compared to any of his earlier work. Now that isn't to say the film is bad, in fact, I had tons of fun with it, it just is weird that someone known for his profanity-filled political satire takes on such a safe and whimsy project like this.
If you don't know the story of David Copperfield, it is one of those quintessential Dickens' novels, a tale about the whimsical characters of Victorian London and a focus on wit and intelligence to help get through the difficult tragedies of life. I think it is a really tough book to adapt, it is inherently messy and full of so many characters and scenes that the scale plays in conflict with the setting and Copperfield often ironically feels lost in the book itself, drowning in the overabundance of characters and settings. This is where the film really excels and where Iannucci proves why he chose to adapt this, because of his skill as a comedic ensemble director, he can work with heightened characters butting heads so well and that is when the film excels the most. Actors such as Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi, Ben Wishaw, Gwendoline Christie, Paul Whitehouse and Benedict Wong are all more than capable of carrying the spotlight individual but Iannucci lets this supporting cast interact to pitch-perfect comedy. It feels so authentically Dickensian to see such a strong set of entertaining characters interact in such a way in some of the best moments in the film. Swinton and Laurie are by far the standouts, they seem to be having the time of their lives with these characters and it really shines. The cast isn't perfect however, Wishaw's Uriah Heap is just bizarre and he doesn't come off as a menacing villain at all, Capaldi is also trying his absolute best to do a cockney accent but maybe I've just been exposed to too much of his natural accent that sometimes his lines are genuinely unintelligible.
Dev Patel shines in this film and in a film with such a strong set of supporting characters he holds his own and adds a brilliant level of humanity and interest to the character of David Copperfield. I think they do a lot of interesting things with how his character develops and grows, it isn't exactly a deep character study but it is a straightforward and captivating character dynamic. Patel is so charming and compelling in this role, he really comes through as the film's heart in every scene. I think he really excels in keeping together the winding disorientating narrative this film often struggles to keep on track. The constant extreme circumstance changes compose a narrative that doesn't really hold together, events just happen without a second to let the audience breathe which creates an experience that doesn't really leave any impact on its audience. For every fantastic quirk to Patel's character or new addition to the cast, we never get to really spend enough time with them before we are whisked off to the next moment. The film has a big focus on comedy, obviously that being Iannucci's strength and there are a fair few jokes that really made me laugh, however he often tries to use more traditional basic comedy. For example, he relies a lot on repeating character quirks for comedic purposes that is funny the first time, but not funny the fifteenth time, luckily the cast all utilise their comedic talents to keep the comedy above sea level.
It's a messy film, to say the least, and that is a real shame as I had high expectations for what Ianucci could deliver next, obviously, he doesn't want to be put into one corner which is fair. I feel the comedy should have been the best part but it lacks the ingenious contrast and witty dialogue of his earlier stuff. However, I don't think it is without a lot of heart, it is full of this infectious Dickensian tone and he even encompasses a lot of really interesting small stylistic moments that add a bit more authenticity on occasion. It's an entertaining whimsical look at the classic tale that I wouldn't be so disappointed with if I didn't have high expectations for Iannucci, however, I also wouldn't have watched it if I didn't know he directed it.
Thanks for Reading Review No.4 from Leeds International Film Festival!