McCarthy shines in ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’
Writer Lee Israel is one of those career-changing roles for Melissa McCarthy.
At first glance, McCarthy is unrecognizable as she’s hiding behind large reading glasses that take over her face and sporting light brown hair flecked with grey roots. But no matter what she looks like, it’s clear to see why her performance is getting Oscar buzz. In the film, her dark, witty humor overlays a deeper look into a person’s isolation, guilt and desperation.
Israel is down on her luck when the movie begins in 1991 New York. She’s fired from an office job for cursing and drinking. She’s behind on her rent in an apartment filled with flies, and Jersey, her old cat, is sick. Her books aren’t selling – especially a biography about Estée Lauder that winds up on a bookstore’s clearance table. And her agent,
who has lost faith in Israel, doesn’t believe she can make money unless she “cleans up her act.”
The audience knows that she doesn’t take anyone’s nonsense. In fact, Israel is one of those “crazy cat ladies” who prefers the company of furry felines over people. But her own personality and lack of trust in others is self-destructive.
As she’s drinking her misery away in a bar, an acquaintance, Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant), sits next to her and they reminisceabout the first time they met. The pair quickly turn into each other’s only friend.
While she’s doing research for her next book, she finds an original letter from comic entertainer Fanny Brice tucked in a book and swipes it into her bag. At home with a trusty typewriter, she embellishes the letter with her own wit an humor and sells it to bookshop owner Anna (Dolly Wells), making hundreds of dollars.
Because she’s raking in so much money she decides to keep creating letters by literary greats like Dorothy Parker, Noël Coward and Lillian Hellman and selling them to collectors. Eventually people start to get suspicious, so she decides to steal the real letters, replace them with copies and sell the originals with help from Hock.
At times, viewers can see guilt and frenzied desperation in her contorted facial expressions as she steals each letter. It’s clear to see her nervousness followed by relief with each passing document.
Not-so-big spoiler alert: the law catches up to her, and she writes a memoir about her ordeal which is what the movie is based on. When the movie finishes, look out for some fun postmovie reports.
Director Marielle Heller delivers a solid movie with fantastic acting, creativity and engagement. There are plenty of scenes that show the complexity of Israel’s character. However, it feels like more could’ve been done with depicting her love life. Her ex, Elaine (Anna Deavere Smith), is mentioned once in passing, and she shows up for one scene. But it would’ve been interesting to see more of her or of Israel’s newfound affection for Anna. It would’ve given Israel another field of depth.
McCarthy wasn’t the only one giving notable performances. It’s equally pleasant to watch Grant play Israel’s friend. He makes the man likable, and it’s a joy to watch them together.
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” may give McCarthy a chance to play in a wider range of genres instead of being typecast as a comedian.
Melissa McCarthy stars in one of her best roles as Lee Israel, a down-on-her luck writer who embellishes letters from historical literary figures and celebrities for money. (R - 106 minutes) P, S, D.