Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant
Directed by: Mirelle Heller
Rated: R
Can you ever forgive me for disliking this critically acclaimed movie?
Can You Ever Forgive Me tells the true story of Lee Israel, a celebrity biographer who struggles paying her bills. When Lee can't seem to make ends meet, she begins forging letters from dead celebrities in order to make money. It's a scam that seems to pay, and people are even reading her work! But she can't keep it up forever.
On the surface this sounds like a decently interesting plot, but the idea never translates to the screen in an intriguing way. I give every film a very good chance and rarely find myself bored at the movies, but this is one of the slowest films I've seen all year. The pacing is absolutely horrible. It doesn't help matters that the cinematography is completely grey through the whole movie. I understand if the cinematography is meant to reflect Lee Israel's bleak world, but that can be done in an interesting way. Look at a movie like Inside Llewyn Davis. It manages to be bleak, but beautiful. This just looks bland.
Many people have said this film could lead to an Oscar nomination for Melissa McCarthy. Although I didn't like this movie, I can't deny that McCarthy dives deep into the role. I'm not sure if I would consider this Oscar worthy, but it's hard to believe this is the same person who was in Life of the Party earlier this year. McCarthy's character, Lee Israel, is a deeply unlikeable person. She lies, cheats, and pushes away everyone she gets close to. Writing is the only thing that matters in her life. There's an interesting dynamic in the film that Lee is so good at forging other people's voices. She can copy the persona of several different celebrity's and make it believable. It's as if she can mimic other's identities without a second thought, but she struggles to be comfortable with herself.
Richard E. Grant injects some energy into a lifeless movie as Lee's friend, Jack. He's also a struggling writer who isn't particularly nice. However, he is very enthusiastic. The two form an unlikely friendship in the moments they can get along and a hostile work partnership when arguing.
The entire time I was watching Can You Ever Forgive Me, I was reminded of a movie that was hyped up a few years ago called The Lady in the Van. It was supposed to be a potential Best Actress bid for Maggie Smith. I saw the film, didn't like it, felt depressed as I left the theater and wondered why the story was ever turned into a movie. These were my exact same feelings as I left Can You Ever Forgive Me? Saw it. Didn't like it. Felt depressed as I left the theater. Don't think it needed to be turned into a movie.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a tedious film about an unlikeable person doing terrible things.
My Rating: 5/10