By Robert Yaniz Jr.

DAY 15 OF THE 2018 HOLIDAY BINGE

Melissa McCarthy sheds her comic persona for a sobering look at an alcoholic forger.

THE HYPE

The star of films like Bridesmaids, Spy and (sorry, haters) the 2016 Ghostbusters isn’t exactly the first actress you’d think of to take on the role of an acerbic, alcoholic down-on-her-luck author. Alas, here we are with Can You Ever Forgive Me?, the film adaptation of the late Lee Israel’s 2008 autobiography. Melissa McCarthy and co-star Richard E. Grant have been steadily earning Oscar buzz for their performances, and the film marks the sophomore effort by acclaimed director Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl).

THE STORY

Struggling to get her next project published (and therefore pay the bills), Lee (McCarthy) finds a way when she stumbles on the scheme of a lifetime: forging letters by literary icons and selling these pieces as high-priced collectibles. Along the way, she befriends the eccentric Jack Hock (Grant), who becomes her confidante and ultimately her accomplice. But don’t let this preoccupation with plot fool you. At its heart, Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a character study through and through.

THE CAST

To that end, while the screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty bears a no-frills air, it is lined with the same dark wit and introspective standoffish as Lee herself. McCarthy has never been better and, despite the razor-sharp tongue she wields, there is a sadness and hopelessness that permeates her performance. Seeing as her comedic persona is so in-your-face and boisterous, this is about as against-type as she can play it. Grant serves as the perfect counterpoint with the showier role, though his too is fully formed.

THE PRODUCTION

Stripped of the trappings that typically plague big-screen adaptations of real-life stories, everything from Heller’s straightforward direction to the production design and even the Brandon Trost cinematography feels lived-in. The world of Can You Forgive Me? aims to shed light on the dark underbelly of life, the consequences that our decisions can have on our lives and the reckoning that never fails to follow suit. The film’s greatest asset is just how damn real it all feels. No Hollywood-style redemption here.

THE VERDICT

Lee’s story may feel like exactly the kind of intriguing tale destined to make it way to the big screen. So the fact that Heller and her team translated it without dilution for the purpose of “artistic license” makes it all the more impressive. Viewers looking for an escape for the complex world we live in better search elsewhere for their entertainment. But those hoping for a production exploring (and even celebrating) the foibles of the human spirit will relish Can You Ever Forgive Me? and particularly McCarthy’s work in it.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? stars Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant and is directed by Marielle Heller.