“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

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Nicole Holofcener had never been to iconic LGBTQ bar Julius’ until she saw it mentioned in Lee Israel’s memoir (the author, played by Melissa Mccarthy, wrote that she preferred frequenting the West Village watering hole over her court- ordered AA meetings). Holofcener says she “had the luck of doing ‘research,’ there” and production was allowed to film inside. The table used in the film’s final scene is where Jeff Whitty, Holofcener’s co-scribe, was sitting the night he met Israel on his 40th birthday. “For me that bar is the physical heart of the film.” .