THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD
****
Dir: Armando Iannucci (PG, 119 mins)
An engaging Dickensian romp from the master satirist Iannucci, this version of the hefty Victorian tome is great fun and zips along without sacrificing character. Dev Patel is an engaging Copperfield, regaling the tale of his life to a theatre audience, adding a dose of meta-shenanigans as we flip back and forth to his past and present. Never entirely sure of his place in society, Patel retells incidents from his picaresque childhood and adolescence, peopled with some wonderful comedic turns from the likes of Tilda Swinton as eccentric aunt Betsy Trotwood and cousin Hugh Laurie. Ben Whishaw makes for a hilarious Uriah Heep and former Dr Who and The Thick Of It star Peter Capaldi plays Mr Micawber, one of many parental substitutes Patel is ricocheted between. Light and frothy, bereft of mockumentary tics like most of Iannucci’s previous work, this feels lavish and arch with the whole cast obviously having a great time, but crucially so will the audience. A Dickens adaptation that doesn’t bore.
Opens Jan 24
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