Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Review by Myla Tosatto
With awards season nearing its cutoff time, we are going to see more and more biopics and movies based on true stories like Bohemian Rhapsody, First Man, and The Old Man and the Gun (golden statues really LOVE actors that play real people). Will You Ever Forgive Me? is one such film.
Will You Ever Forgive Me? Is the story of Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy), a New York Times bestselling author who finds herself on the downward spiral of her writing career. With rent to pay and a sick cat to take care of she finds a dishonest, yet rewarding, way to make money by forging letters. Israel uses her impressive (and mean) wit to concoct fake correspondence from the likes of Dorothy Parker and Noel Coward. She is helped by her associate Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant). Though she is able to make quite a bit of money by fooling collectors, she doesn’t fool the FBI.
Whose morals are really in question here? Lee’s and Jacks’ as they perform their fraudulent dealings or the audience’s as they root for the scoundrels? I’m not ashamed to say that I was laughing along at Lee and Jack and their antisocial behavior and caustic cleverness.
It will be interesting to see if the Academy and the Golden Globes reward McCarthy for her dramatic (though painfully funny) performance. It may depend on how many more real life people are portrayed on the silver screen between now and December 31st. Bridesmaids (Oscar nominee for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role) and Spy (Golden Globe nominee for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture) noms aside, this may be her year to get that golden statue for a dramatic performance.
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” is now playing in theaters.
