The Personal History of David Copperfield

If David Copperfield was the literary twin brother of Charles Dickens, then perhaps Armando Iannucci is some sort of distant cousin.

With The Personal History of David Copperfield, the Scottish filmmaker meshes his penchant for constantly swirling cameras, rapid-fire dialogue, and often hectic narrative pacing with the iconic Dickensian semiautobiographical coming-of-age story.

Their unlikely artistic kinship yields a vibrant reworking of the familiar material by Iannucci (The Death of Stalin) through a fresh multicultural lens.

The story takes place in Victorian England, with David (Dev Patel) narrating flashbacks to his birth and impoverished upbringing, which led to his abusive stepfather (Darren Boyd) sending the illiterate teenager to London to fend for himself.

David finds paltry work at a bottle factory, and lodging with a low-level clerk (Peter Capaldi) who’s being chased by creditors. After his mother’s death, the orphan is taken in by his eccentric Aunt Betsey (Tilda Swinton), who lives in a rural estate with a free-spirited cousin, Mr. Dick (Hugh Laurie).

Having found a sense of belonging, both at home and at a posh boarding school, David’s ability as a storyteller begins to blossom. A classmate (Aneurin Barnard) assists his upward mobility, while he finds romance with the daughter (Morfydd Clark) of a businessman. Yet circumstances from his past threaten to spoil David’s good fortune.

Handsomely mounted and stylishly rendered, The Personal History of David Copperfield takes narrative liberties with the source material that might make purists bristle — no more so than with the colorblind casting.

Surrounded by a terrific ensemble, Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) again showcases his versatility in the title role, which in this case provides calm amid the chaos. David also is the story’s conscience and emotional window into its world of schemers and dreamers, along with its subtext involving socioeconomic obstacles and systemic class inequality.

While occasionally overdosing on quirks, the screenplay by Iannucci and frequent collaborator Simon Blackwell trades sharp-tongued satire for heartfelt sincerity, finding subtle ways to modernize the original text while preserving its rags-to-riches underdog spirit.

The film keeps the pace lively and adeptly juggles tones while sidestepping the traditional pitfalls of stuffy period pieces or revisionist takes on classic literature. With crowd-pleasing flair, this David Copperfield adaptation exceeds its great expectations.

Rated PG, 119 minutes.