Can You Ever Forgive Me? follows the life of biographer to the stars Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) as she suffers through a career downturn, no longer able to secure publishing for her work in a changing literary landscape. Months behind on her rent, Lee stumbles into a money making opportunity; forging fake letters from legendary public figures. Aided by her friend Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant), Lee tries to stay afloat and ahead of authorities while enjoying historical collectors re-engagement with her “work”.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? is an intriguing exploration of the importance that professional recognition and appreciation plays in a person’s life and how the loss of such acknowledgment can have a deleterious effect on our sense of self-worth and lead to destructive behavior. In the first half of the film, Lee is struggling to comprehend why the value of her writing has seen a precipitous decline since her heyday, while writers she deems lesser than herself receive multi-million dollar advances from publishers. As Lee struggles to come up with money for both emergencies and the expenses of everyday life, her dissatisfaction with her professional status transform her already prickly personality into one so toxic that it only digs her even deeper into the unemployable hole she already occupies. While her stumbling into the world of collectible historical writings does occur by happenstance fueled by her need to generate any kind of income, her escalation of the forgery of fake letters is completely a result of the adulation that collectors unknowingly gave to her writing upon their examination of her letters. In the scam and collectors’ reactions to the writing in the letters that she “found”, Lee finally regained the appreciation and laudatory view of her work that she so sorely missed, ensuring that even as the scam began to fall apart she would be unable to turn away and save herself.
In this story, we see what an integral role being told that we excel at something, that our work is recognized and valued, plays in our feelings about ourselves and how we go about our daily lives. The acknowledgement of our good deeds and work output are integral in building the confidence and motivation necessary to fulfill our full potential in our careers. Most people who view this film will be able to think to a job they’ve worked at some point in their lives where positive reinforcement was lacking and its absence resulted in feelings of isolation and despondence. I think back on my own career where I once worked at a job for a year and half without once being told by my supervisor that any of my work was nicely done or having its quality recognized even when it was present, despite that same supervisor always being sure to point out when my work contained something they were unsatisfied with no matter how small or inconsequential. Eventually, this had the effect of souring how I viewed any task I was assigned and my morale overall. These same emotions of self-doubt and loss of confidence play themselves out onscreen in Can You Ever Forgive Me? and make the places where Lee goes in her chasing of the high of recognition more believable and, at times, even understandable. Lee sparks up a flirtatious friendship with bookstore owner Anna (Dolly Wells) and their connection only serves to confirm that Lee’s behavior and choices are fueled by the loneliness of non-recognition. Their friendship begins with Anna’s acknowledged respect at Lee’s resume as a writer and acknowledgement that Lee has much to offer aspiring writer Anna as a mentor and critic of her attempts at writing. Anna’s reverence for Lee strengthens their connection as Lee genuinely appreciates her laudatory attitude toward her as a published writer. Sometimes, a little appreciation is all we need.
We spend most of our time with the film watching Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant perform together and the resulting chemistry between the two actors powers the film almost entirely. Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a dramedy in every sense of the word and the relationship between Lee and Jack reflect this, their banter and acidic back & forth coming off as both funny and believable. While both actors perform very well, Grant is the biggest standout in his supporting role; ably portraying the aging hustler Jack and evoking in viewers emotions of pity, annoyance, and empathy when each is appropriate. His humor when coupled with McCarthy’s saves the film from ever becoming dreadfully boring despite the thinness of the story itself. McCarthy also shines in her first major dramatic role, displaying emotions of sadness and non-humorous anger when the script calls for it. Can You Ever Forgive Me? is partially a comedy however, and her usual sardonic wit is perfectly paired here with Lee Israel’s personality and allows the actress to display her naturally strengths while also branching out into this new territory in which audiences are not used to seeing her.
While the story in Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a little thin for a movie offering, the work by director Marielle Heller is utilizing the talent of her main actors in both playing to their strengths and utilizing their talent and chemistry to operate as the centerpiece of the film saves it from being victimized by this fact and instead allows these pieces to elevate the work. After the film’s debut at the Telluride Film Festival, Melissa McCarthy received much fanfare as a potential Oscar nominee for her work here and the performance is worthy of the praise it received. She is able to display her usual comedic chops but also taps into some dramatic, emotional acting that comes across well onscreen. Richard E. Grant is even better in his supporting role that equally draws on the comedic and the serious and may be even more worthy of nomination than the film’s star. Their chemistry is the absolute lynchpin of the film and without it, the project may not have worked at all. Can You Ever Forgive Me? is an average movie on its own but the performances are notable and prevent the film from falling by the wayside.
Image: Fox Searchlight
