The Personal History of David Copperfield | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

92% Tomatometer 249 Reviews 54% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings

The life of David Copperfield is chronicled from his youth into adulthood.

Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

The Personal History of David Copperfield

The Personal History of David Copperfield

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The Personal History of David Copperfield puts a fresh, funny, and utterly charming spin on Dickens' classic, proving some stories truly are timeless.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (249) Critics Reviews
The Personal History of David Copperfield | Rotten Tomatoes (1) James Parker The Atlantic [A] mad, loving, and brilliantly cinematic extrapolation of the novel... Feb 5, 2021 Full Review The Personal History of David Copperfield | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Shubhra Gupta The Indian Express 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. Rated: 3.5/5 Dec 16, 2020 Full Review The Personal History of David Copperfield | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Jake Coyle Associated Press An exuberantly optimistic film celebrating the life force of art and eccentricity. Who couldn't use a little of that right now. Rated: 2.5/4 Oct 30, 2020 Full Review The Personal History of David Copperfield | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Emma Simmonds Radio Times Iannucci's work is often steeped in cynicism but here his affection for the material is overwhelmingly evident; by adapting a beloved author, the director has finally found his heart. Rated: 5/5 Aug 30, 2024 Full Review The Personal History of David Copperfield | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Calum Cooper Source (Scotland) If In the Loop and The Death of Stalin showcased humanity at its most selfish or incompetent, then The Personal History of David Copperfield depicts humanity at its most empathetic and merry. Rated: 4/5 Jul 14, 2024 Full Review The Personal History of David Copperfield | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Serena Seghedoni Loud and Clear Reviews 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. Rated: 3.5/5 Oct 29, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (178) audience reviews

Kaz M A lovely, fun retelling of Dickens story- well acted, great scenery: just a pleasant entertaining movie where good triumphs and the bad guys get theirs. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/08/25 Full Review Rosana B Linda representação do fantástico mundo de Copperfield, se difere um pouco da obra original, mas a essência permanece, uma vez que o livro é quase uma autobiografia, como o Sr. Micawber preso por dívidas como seu pai, e ele menino trabalhando na fábrica... O filme é longo e se torna um pouco cansativo, como viajar para um lugar distante e chegamos descadeirados, mas a caracterização, figurinos, belíssimos, cheio de cores, as falas cheia de poesia, encanta e diverte... Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/03/25 Full Review Glen D A joy to watch from beginning to end. I am sure Dickens would be delighted with this adaptation. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/21/24 Full Review Kyle M A perfect movie. It is hilarious! Dramatic! Enjoyable. An absolute treat from beginning to end. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/28/24 Full Review M J I watched 40 minutes with my wife before stopping to look up reviews and confirm that its not just me…This movie feels like a rushed theatre club excitedly performing an incessantly long David Copperfield themed improv scene with exaggerated characters acting manically. The plot moves quickly, people speak quickly, and often speaking nonsense. I feel like the actors don’t even believe the characters they’re portraying. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/19/24 Full Review Marit Risto F So well shown how ridiculously people behave with a baby 😄 I remember wondering what the heck they were up to 😵‍💫 Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/18/25 Full Review Read all reviews

The Personal History of David Copperfield

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All Cast and Crew
Armando Iannucci Director Dev Patel David Copperfield Tilda Swinton Betsey Trotwood Hugh Laurie Mr. Dick Peter Capaldi Mr. Micawber Ben Whishaw Uriah Heep

Movie Clips

View All videos

The Personal History of David Copperfield

The Personal History of David Copperfield: Movie Clip The Personal History of David Copperfield: Movie Clip 1:31 View more videos

More Like This

View All Best Movies to Stream at Home

Menashe 95% 65% Menashe Watchlist TRAILER for Menashe Turtle Diary 82% 75% Turtle Diary Watchlist Ladies in Black 88% 75% Ladies in Black Watchlist 102 Not Out 50% 79% 102 Not Out Watchlist TRAILER for 102 Not Out Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris 94% 93% Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Watchlist TRAILER for Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Videos

View All videos

The Personal History of David Copperfield

The Personal History of David Copperfield: Featurette - A Cast of Characters The Personal History of David Copperfield: Featurette - A Cast of Characters 2:18 The Personal History of David Copperfield: Featurette - First Look The Personal History of David Copperfield: Featurette - First Look 1:52 The Personal History of David Copperfield: Trailer 1 The Personal History of David Copperfield: Trailer 1 2:03 The Personal History of David Copperfield: International Trailer 1 The Personal History of David Copperfield: International Trailer 1 1:45 View more videos

Photos

View All The Personal History of David Copperfield photos

The Personal History of David Copperfield

View more photos

Synopsis The life of David Copperfield is chronicled from his youth into adulthood.

Director
Armando Iannucci

Producer
Armando Iannucci, Kevin Loader

Screenwriter
Armando Iannucci, Simon Blackwell

Distributor
Searchlight Pictures

Production Co
Film 4, Wishmore, FilmNation Entertainment

Rating
PG (Thematic Material|Brief Violence)

Genre
Comedy, Drama

Original Language
British English

Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 28, 2020, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 17, 2020

Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.9M

Runtime
1h 59m

Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
Most Popular at Home Now
The Personal History of David Copperfield | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Ms. Lucile Johns

Last Updated:

Views: 6015

Rating: 4 / 5 (41 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Ms. Lucile Johns

Birthday: 1999-11-16

Address: Suite 237 56046 Walsh Coves, West Enid, VT 46557

Phone: +59115435987187

Job: Education Supervisor

Hobby: Genealogy, Stone skipping, Skydiving, Nordic skating, Couponing, Coloring, Gardening

Introduction: My name is Ms. Lucile Johns, I am a successful, friendly, friendly, homely, adventurous, handsome, delightful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.