Written by Perrin Smith
“Well, that’s batshit, Marjorie!” exclaims Melissa McCarthy in her portrayal of Lee Israel in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” This is a line that would not be out of place if spoken by any number of her previous characters. It’s easy to imagine McCarthy uttering this line as Megan from “Bridesmaids” or as Susan Cooper in “Spy.” So, what sets this line, in this movie, apart from the rest of her many similarly-styled performances in so many other films? Well, to put it simply, it is the sheer commitment McCarthy gives to her performance as Lee Israel, a struggling biographer who turns to fraud in order to pay the bills, that sets this role far apart from the rest of her list of acting credits.
Based on a true story, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” places McCarthy in new and uncharted territory as an actress: drama. The film opens with an extreme close-up of a much different McCarthy than what we are used to. Gone are the exaggerated facial expressions, make up, and mannerisms of some of her more well-known caricatures. In this film, we see McCarthy as Lee Israel, solemn, bathed in deep blue and golden lights, with short unkempt hair and downing a glass of whiskey in an office cubicle. We proceed to witness, arguably, one of the worst days in Lee’s life. She gets fired from her job, has to own up to not being able to make rent, again, and has a sick cat with no means to pay for her treatment. Through every scene, McCarthy avoids playing the situation up for laughs: this is serious.
Practically opening at the end of the second act, the film begins by showing Lee Israel in one of the lowest moments of her life. It proceeds to get worse and worse until, while doing research on a new book, Lee finds something that could make it all better. Nestled in the pages of an old book, she discovers a priceless treasure: an old and forgotten letter from a long-dead famous writer. Here, she gets an idea. Lee begins creating fraudulent letters from a wide range of literary icons, even going so far as forging their signatures, to then sell to collectors in order to make money.
Soon, McCarthy’s Lee Israel is joined by an exuberant cohort, Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant). Hock, a struggling writer himself, gives Lee a much-needed bereavement from her gloomy everyday life. Together, the two create and sell around four hundred forgeries. Hock brings a necessary levity to the tone and mood of the film, creating situations and adding comments that will never cease to crack a smile. While Grant plays the role of Hock admirably, and quite hilariously, McCarthy is the true screen-stealer.
McCarthy’s portrayal of a writer, down on her luck and struggling, is the biggest draw of this film. Her performance is raw and powerful, easily one of the best of her career.
But do not be misled: this is not a comedy, this is a drama first and foremost. Of course, there are bits of comedy peppered throughout, but McCarthy plays this role with a new level of depth and attention to detail than anything we have ever seen her play before. Her commitment to character and drama propels, not only this film’s quality, but also McCarthy’s acting career into new and exciting heights.
Melissa McCarthy’s incredible and committed performance, as well as the true and powerful story of Lee Israel, makes “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” a must-see film.
