ST. LOUIS — Charles Dickens knew how to write peculiar people with a big heart. The ones who are bent a certain way, most likely pointing in the wrong direction but still lovable. Most can surmise in their head what another person looks or sounds like, but Dickens could write it down in a precise manner. He knew how to install hope in the bewildered aspect of life.
Every once in a while, Hollywood figures out how to properly tell a Charles Dickens story. Armando Ianucci's "The Personal History of David Copperfield" is one of, if not, the best film adaptations yet. Equal parts enchanting and deceptively humorous, Iannucci's take on Dickens' world offers up just the right amount of departure and comfort. If you can imagine the worlds of Wes Anderson and Robert Altman colliding, you'd have this genuine pleasure of a movie. One that doesn't exactly wallop you early on, but lays its full impact into you right as the third act comes into focus. Out of all of his stories, this one always stuck out to me as a tale that dove into the tortuous yet satisfying perils of being a writer. How every waking thought rolls into your head and you have to figure out which ones are profound and which are childish, weighing the words against your own life like rocks on a scale.
When words pop into David Copperfield's (Dev Patel) head, he must stop what he's doing and write them all down. A young man without a lot of money but carrying many words of wisdom, David is opportunistic while being realistic. Yet, he always had words. Anywhere, somewhere, just as long as the words have been written. It's one of the ways he's coped with being an orphan at a young age, a time where he could find solace from the unknown in the loving embrace of his nanny Peggoty (Daisy May Cooper), or the trustworthy if verbally unsure Mr. Micawber (Peter Capaldi). The only child of a presumed trio lost at birth, David doesn't just meet people; he writes them into his own life like a new chapter. Whether it's his steely yet caring aunt (Tilda Swinton) or a fellow writer lost in his own world (Hugh Laurie), David builds his stories with real parts, just like Dickens. He finds a kindred spirit in Agnes Wickfield (Rosalind Eleazar), the daughter of the often drunken but respected Mr. Wickfield (Benedict Wong).
In case you haven't noticed, the roles in this movie are cast in a colorblind fashion. A place where the color of one's skin doesn't keep them from playing a certain role. Iannucii wisely reloads Dickens' tale for the modern age of society and its cultural shifts, giving the film that unexpected power kick. Those are the kind of moves in movies worth remembering and savoring.
Period pieces aren't easy to pull off, but this one circumvents expectations immediately. I didn't roll my eyes at accents or costumes, instead falling hard for a tale that seems old yet still carries a lot of power. How the life of an orphan may be drawn out of seemingly spare parts and pipe dreams, but can be saved when the right pieces come together. Iannucci handles the adversity in David's story the same way he tackled the casting choices and themes: fearlessly. This is a film where the actors seem to portray their characters in a delirious fashion that you can miss the poetry in their dialogue exchanges.
Laurie's Mr. Dick is convinced that the mind of a dead king has traveled into his own mind, which gives him all these amazing ideas and lines that don't seem to have a real home. You could say those musings are orphans coming out his hand, but possibly from another source. David falls in love with a woman who prefers to speak from the point of view of her dog in a big argument. Ben Whishaw's Uriah Heep may seem clingy, but he's got a few secrets of his own.
There's so much vivid life in Dickens' words, and Iannucci and co-writer Simon Blackwell capture it perfectly. The film sneaks up on you in the end, because it uses the best cover to lay its biggest blow of the experience: comedy. The best writers found beauty in the funny spots, even the bittersweet and painful varieties. Watch for the moments that seem to be cobbled out of a different world, but one that looks as liberating as the one we operate in today.
Right when you think the film is about a love story, it becomes something much more profound. Right when you think it's reached that destination, it goes for something else. The fleeting emotions can cripple most films, but here it's fuel. David's life is one big adventure, a playbook that reminded of Tim Burton's "Big Fish," where Ewan McGregor's protagonist seemed to live in a world that crawled right out of his imagination. For David, aka Charles, it was a combination of the two that made life worthwhile. The goal here was to find happiness, not just one aspect of it.
The cast is uniformly excellent. Patel has put together a fine career, one laced with Oscar worthy work, but I don't think he's ever played a character so multifaceted as David. This work may stand above his incredible performance in "Lion," but that role only touched on his dramatic gifts. The actor nails the physical demands of Dickens' world, where Copperfield would bend his body to match an impersonation or throw a wrench in his voice to deepen it for a story. It's assured, effortless work from Patel. I doubt Swinton can give a bad performance, but she adds some hard-fought warmth to Betsey Trotwood. From the look to the voice, she's a presence fit for a cinematic playground that moves quick like Iannucci's film.
Laurie hasn't been this good in years, portraying an old soul who likes to depart our word for a few thoughts to listen to the other voice in his head. If you ask him, that voice is more entertaining. Laurie is a hoot and finds a willing partner in Patel to trade with. Most may know Benedict Wong from the Marvel Universe, but he's wonderful here as a man who loves a glass of wine as much as he does the fact that days are long. Capaldi charms the pants off the screen while creating some despair as well for the over-the-road journeyman who means well. Every actor fits their part to a tee. No false notes here.
The object of its destination's desire, the movie cuts off into multiple threads, which can create confusion and alienate some viewers. The film has quirkiness to spare, but takes its time in supplying the heartfelt connections between its characters. The film picks up a diverse charm about halfway in, and has a boundless energy that pushes you through its unsure moments. Right when you think the hands are falling off the wheel, something distinctive occurs to knock it back into place-like Laurie's Mr. Dick grabbing a musical instrument out of a pawn shop and running out into the streets shouting, "Run, I'm a criminal!"
"The Personal History of David Copperfield" reminds us of the wild impossibilities that life places in front of us at every juncture, waiting for us to find a way over them. How a person can survive if he has a good heart. Oh boy, we would love for this to be true of today's world. That's the diversity in Iannucci's world that is painfully missing in the real world. David's whole life was a fight, but due to some interesting people, he found a way. I never was a fan of Atlman or Anderson, but combining their worlds into Charles Dickens' stories was a great idea.
I may have gone into this film unsure of what to expect, but I left amused and uplifted. The movies don't always nail the work of Charles Dickens-but here the cast, direction, writing, and general tone captured it better than most could ever dream of.
