Can You Ever Forgive Me? Movie Review

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

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Written by: Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty (screenplay by)
Directed by: Marielle Heller
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Ben Falcone
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A successful biographer in the '70s and '80s, when Lee Israel's career tanks she begins forging letters from famous writers.

Verdict
It's a competent though low stakes heist movie. We're not given much reason to like the protagonist though we fully understand why she defrauds. It's refreshing that she's not sorry about improving her life, though she does regret the harm she caused others.
It depends.

Review
This has a bit of a twist with the main character. She isn't a hero for her act and isn't very likable. She's upset that her books no longer sell. She was a top writer and now can't make ends meet. That's the recipe to begin writing fake celebrity letters.

We fully understand the why and how she can't stop. She can finally pay her bills. She isn't rich trying to get richer, she's just trying to survive. She's destined to fail, and the movie doesn't build it up so the fall is over dramatized. It's a natural progression as she sells a legitimate letter, than beings selling fake letters which begin to raise suspicion and she has to get more daring. That's her source of income and she can't stop now.

Lee is aided by a con man named Jack. McCarthy and Grant have great chemistry. Though you should never trust a con man.

The conclusion is refreshing. She's sorry she hurt and defrauded people, but not by what she did exactly because she directly benefited. Her biggest regret is that her most popular writings were while she was impersonating celebrities.