Checked out the new Melissa McCarthey drama (!!) Can You Ever Forgive Me? a few days ago. I say drama but it’s more dramady… with a small dose of one the more surprisingly tense heist scenes I’ve seen in a while.
The film exists at the nexus of writers and crime. You know… that old chestnut. McCarthey plays real-world author Lee Israel… a reasonably successful writer of somewhat obscure biographies who has fallen on hard times due to writer’s block, alcoholism, and misanthropy. Running low on money, she stumbles on a letter from her current biography subject and sells it for a decent amount of money. Little dollar signs appear in her eyes as she realizes she can forge other letters that collectors will buy. And there we have our crime.
This is a pretty good film. There probably isn’t as much story as their is running time though… it does get a little draggy at parts but I was still largely engaged. Apparently this is a true story and is, in fact, based on the book she wrote about herself after getting (spoiler alert) caught by the FBI.
McCarthey does her best work here playing fairly serious drama. The movie does have a dark comedic edge to it which she (along with her coworkers) sell.
Overall, a fairly good movie even if the topic might be a hard sell for some. But it’s how the movie tells its story of literary legerdemain that’s interesting and it does a fair job at that. Mild recommendation.
Score: 78