The Personal History of David Copperfield

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

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.

An exuberantly optimistic film celebrating the life force of art and eccentricity. Who couldn't use a little of that right now.

The new film adaptation, co-written by Iannucci and Simon Blackwell, takes that human energy as its lifting-off point, and is simply too faithful, rich, and bright to be dimmed by the circumstances of its release.

As for Patel, he makes a wonderful Copperfield -- sturdy, kind, charismatic, and filled with a childlike curiosity and wonder even into adulthood (and, of course, great hair).

[Iannucci] is clearly at home with sprawling casts of characters and comfortable allowing them to chew the scenery when the mood comes over them.

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.

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.

The Personal History of David Copperfield is a beautiful adaptation of Charles Dickens’ cherished work.

Its unbridled buoyancy strips the story of much needed tension. I mean we are talking about subjects like child labor, child abuse, and crippling poverty. But the movie breezes by these issues...with barely a whim of commentary.