Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a dramedy of the kind that isn’t very common in Hollywood anymore. The film is based on the true story of Lee Israel, a New York writer who tries to make a living by writing artist biographies. When she gets a refusal from her publisher, Lee suddenly discovers her amazing ability to imitate the writing style of other people. In cahoots with her drinking buddy Jack, Lee starts falsifying letters from famous writers and sell them on to collectors.

The story is as exciting as a thriller, deeply tragic, and wryly hilarious. It recreates the shabby Greenwich Village of the 1990s so well that you can practically smell it through the screen. But it’s the character portrayals that really make this film. Lee and Jack are two perfectly matched egotists who recognise one another’s longing for intimacy, and it’s impossible not to delight in the joy that the pair experience – even if it cannot last. Both Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant for nominated for Academy Awards for their stand-out performances.

Year 2018

Director Marielle Heller

Screenplay Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty

Cast Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Jane Curtin

Production Company Archer Gray, Fox Searchlight Pictures

Runtime 1h 46m

Links IMDb