Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
Director: Marielle Heller. (15)
Comedy
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis
Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) is a biographer facing the longest period of writer’s block in literary history. Once, she topped the New York bestseller’s list with two insightful, witty books. Now, she is three month’s behind on her rent and can’t get freelance work as a copywriter.
After selling a treasured letter handwritten by movie legend Katharine Hepburn, she senses an opportunity to make quick money by forging letters seemingly penned by artistic greats like Marlene Dietrich and Noel Coward and selling them to artisan book stores.
The gambit works and, aided and abetted by her louche friend Jack (Richard E. Grant), the money rolls in. Lee gets carried away with her own flare for impersonation and soon people who knew the ‘authors’ start to question their authenticity.
Review by @Reelreviewer
Perhaps not as caustic a caustic-comedy as it makes itself out to be - at least by my standards, being a caustic comedy fan - this 'witty writer at her wits end turning to crime' real-life tale hits the mark thanks to fabulous writing and two superb performances.
McCarthy, after the disaster of last years' The Happytime Murders, finds herself on both sides of the cinematic awards coin. Worse Actress for that and Best Actress Oscar nominated for her grubby, foul-mouthed writer on an eternally bad hair day.
Is she turning herself into the female Robin Williams? Perhaps. On the quality of this turn, let's hope so.
Likewise impressive and up his first ever Oscar nod (bizarrely in the Supporting Actor category, though he is on-screen rather often) is Grant, the least versatile but consistently charming and entertaining of British actors. Playing a middle-aged Withnail.
He probably won't win, but who cares? Here's to another two - or maybe more? - decades playing himself with such silky charm.
For more, see the full review: http://bit.ly/canyouforgiveme
Cast & credits
1hr 46 mins/106mins. Archer Gray/Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Producers: Anne Carey, Amy Nauiokas, David Yarnell.
Writers: Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty.
Camera: Brandon Trost.
Music: Nate Heller.
Sets: Stephen H. Carter.
Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Ben Falcone, Gregory Korostishevsky, Jane Curtin, Stephen Spinella, Christian Navarro.
Image: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
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