The Personal History of David Copperfield

The Personal History of David Copperfield follows its title character from an unhappy childhood in 1840s England to his emergence as a writer. Sent away by a cruel stepfather and put to work in a London factory, the young David lodges with the debt-ridden Mr. Micawber before finding refuge with his wealthy aunt Betsey Trotwood and her eccentric companion Mr. Dick. His path through a chaotic world, toward a place of his own, mixes comedy with darker turns. The film adapts Charles Dickens's semi-autobiographical novel.

Armando Iannucci directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Blackwell. It is the fourth feature he directed, following Tube Tales, In the Loop and The Death of Stalin. Dev Patel plays David, with Peter Capaldi as Mr. Micawber, Ben Whishaw as Uriah Heep, Tilda Swinton as Betsey Trotwood and Hugh Laurie as Mr. Dick. The cast also includes Gwendoline Christie as Jane Murdstone, among 39 credited cast members and 87 credited crew.

Made by Film4 Productions with FilmNation Entertainment and Wishmore, the film had a budget of 16 million USD and took about 12 million USD worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.4/10 from 24,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.4/10 from 552 votes. A critics' rating of 7.6/10 from 249 reviews sits clearly above those audience scores.