Can You Ever Forgive Me?: Probably Not But Give it Your Best Shot

Originally written 11/26/2018.

Movies that try to discern something about certain subcultures or elements of society through the lens of a biopic run the risk of tainting the filmmaker’s attempt to represent said subcultures by the subject of the biopic’s subjective view. Attempts to fix this problem can jeopardize either the accurate portrayal of the person being represented or the focus on whatever historical importance propelled them to a position where it was worth exploring their life through film. In ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?,’ director Marielle Heller tries to find a happy medium by both subscribing to and distancing from cinematic convention.

The film tells the “based on a true” story of Lee Israel, a celebrity biographer whose successfully early career has faded and left her a drunk, washed up but proud mess of a woman by the early 1990s. Tired of trying to conform to modern tastes and unable/unwilling to adjust her writing style, Israel turns to crime to pay the bills. Using her knowledge of classical literature, a few simple tricks, and the blind pretension of the memorabilia-collecting community, she successfully forges and steals over 400 letters and documents of famous literary figures. She swindled thousands of dollars out of antique book stores and libraries around New York City for the better part of a year before the FBI caught on.

Melissa McCarthy plays Israel in a rare departure from her comedic standard, though she brings an appropriate level of “caustic wit” to proceedings. She’s certainly convincing as an unapologetically drunk middle-aged lesbian who has long since given up trying to fit into a society not built with her needs in mind. Where she falls flat is in handling some of the emotional weight of the film. It’s very noticeable that she feels more comfortable and in character when she gets to act snarky and righteous than in the more intimate, personal scenes.

However, as much as the film is about Israel’s criminal exploits, its also very much centered on her would-be friendship with the flamboyant and sophisticated street criminal Jack Hock, played by Richard Grant. A British drug dealer who tries his hardest to put Israel’s hypocritical respect for classic writers in perspective, Hock is undercut by his attempts to worm his way deeper into her life for his own safety.

Perhaps the film is best represented by its technical and cinematography. Though simple, the camerawork and editing are both very effective and palpably heighten the emotional drama being displayed onscreen. The score in particular, an eclectic mix of soft New York swing numbers and cello-heavy tunes, is a powerful boon.

In general, the film is an enjoyable but shallow. It wears both its heart and message on its sleeve, and while I commend its bravery in this regard, it’s a technique that comes off as disingenuous at times. A particular scene where Lee is forced to face her own actions instead of repenting, she merely owns up to her mistakes is indicative of the nature of the film’s approach to its subject. It is willing to recognize the drama of the situation as well as the terse mechanics that kept it in play for so long, but apart from a general condemnation of certain pretentious subcultures, it shies away from making a definitive statement about the meaning and morality behind the grand scam. And despite the overall quality of the film itself, that really says all you need to know about it. 3/5.

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