Can You Ever Forgive Me? Review

R: Language including some sexual references, and brief drug use

Fox Searchlight Pictures, TSG Entertainment

1 Hr and 46 Minutes

Dir: Marielle Heller | Writers: Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Jane Curtin, Anna Deavere Smith, Stephen Spinella, Ben Falcone

Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) made her living in the 1970's and 80's profiling the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estee Lauder, and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. When Lee is no longer able to get published because she has fallen out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception, abetted by her loyal friend Jack (Richard E. Grant).

Like many of McCarthy’s roles, her character Lee Israel is not a good person and at first it's difficult to root for her. She drinks at work, steals other peoples’ coats at parties, and curses out anyone in sight. Hence, a Melissa McCarthy role. But, director Marielle Heller displays the reason why Israel is the way she is. Instead of being over-the-top obnoxious and annoying like a number of her other roles, she’s more grounded and relatable. This woman is struggling to make ends meet in NYC while being unemployed and you feel the urgency of her problems. Even though this takes place in ‘91 the relevance of her problems hasn’t changed over the course of time. I’m a New Yorker so I can tell you firsthand that the struggle of the grind is hella relatable. It’s New York City so if you make it here, you’re going to have to maintain it. You better make that bread or that’s your head.

In other movies, McCarthy’s foul attitude is often ignored or rewarded. In this film, people call her out on her bullshit and yet, you resonate with her because of her financial situation. You’re engaged with Lea as a character. At a certain point you’re so immersed in her predicament that it raises the question: would you resort to fraud if put in her situation?

It's not a matter of “is she going to make it?” but more like “is she going to survive through her struggle?” There is an urgency to her situation and not only does it grip you, but it’s enticing as well. You want her to succeed by any means necessary. This is a dangerous game that Lee  plays, but you’re with her every step of the way.

Because of her being pulled back from the loud and obnoxious McCarthy we actively see her as in other films, her performance is more fleshed out and effective. I could be wrong, but this is McCarthy’s first LGBT character and she portrays it with respectable nuance that we've never seen from her before. She’s still an asshole of a person, but you see how the world treats her cruelly so many times and you understand her attitude. She’s not justified for acting the way she does, but you can see where she’s coming from. Another factor to her performance being so strong is her chemistry with her co-star Richard E. Grant.

Richard E. Grant is the eccentric, older, English homosexual named Jack Hock and he is charismatic as hell. Lee and Jack are both homosexuals and the friendship that is developed is authentic and heartwarming. The magnetic chemistry they share elevates the charming nature of the film and adds depth to the story. He’s that friend you know who’s bad for you, but you keep him around anyway. He’s toxic, but he’s the only one you got and is the only one who puts up with your bullshit. I’ve witnessed friendships like this before in real life. Shit, I have friendships like this. And now that friendship blossomed into a fun business deal.

From the filmmaker's standpoint, director Marielle Heller adds a lot of amazing craftsmanship in terms of production. I love all of the stylistic shots that progress the narrative and they are incredibly well-edited. There is a black and brown/dark color palette scheme throughout and it manages to capture some of the authentic atmosphere the city has. For her sophomore feature, it’s astoundingly impressive how, not only does she manage to make her cast deliver outstanding, career-peaking performances, but she also manages to tell a story that in the hands of others wouldn’t have been handled with such detail and depth. This might be the only movie to captivatingly make my pulse pound over someone searching through letters at an archive. That's how strong this movie is. “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” will put you at the edge of your seat and make you give a damn for a woman stealing letters in a library.

For “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” being a Melissa McCarthy vehicle, you wouldn’t think that her husband/long-time collaborator Ben Falcone would show up here right?

As much as I’m exhausted with his presence being tailored behind anything McCarthy is attached to, I have to admit he’s:

1) unrecognizable

2) pretty good. There are scenes where he poses a threat and never for a minute did I think, “Oh jeez. Why is her husband here?!” Okay, I thought that when he first appeared onscreen but that thought soon vanished.

As a new cat dad this may be the most gut-wrenching movie I’ve ever seen. If you are a cat owner, don’t see this movie. It will break you. So hard. Like, I was bawling in a small screening room because of a cat. When I went home, I pet mine so much he became tired of my love.

Layered, dimensional, and detailed with an abundant amount of effort, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” exhibits nothing but notable talents from McCarthy, Grant, and director Marielle Heffer.

Rating: 4.5/5 | 94%

Super Scene: Lee and Jack go out on the town.