MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Biographical Crime Comedy-Drama/Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Jane Curtin, Ben Falcone, Tim Cummings, Anna Deavere Smith, Stephen Spinella, Gregory Korostishevsky, Christian Navarro, Erik LaRay Harvey, Brandon Scott Jones, Shae D’lyn, Marc Evan Jackson, Kevin Carolan/Runtime: 107 minutes

I think it is safe to say dear reader that ever there was a particular phenomenon that always captured people’s attention, no matter how often it happens in the land of movie magic, there is one that I think best fits this particular review to a t. That being when an actor who is known for being in one particular kind of genre manages to make the transition over to another genre altogether and prove to be quite successful in the eyes of both the critics and the general movie going public. Indeed Leslie Nielsen did it when he made the first Airplane back in 1980, Robin Williams did it multiple times throughout his career with Dead Poet’s Society and Good Will Hunting being two of the more notable examples, Mary Tyler Moore did it with Ordinary People, Jim Carrey did it with The Cable Guy and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and of course Albert Brooks did it to chillingly good effect in 2011’s Drive to name but a few examples. Yet even with all of those names, and others, on this distinct list there is one that I must admit that I never in a million years ever thought would be added to it. That being the name of one Melissa McCarthy. Not that I think McCarthy is a bad actress mind you. Indeed she definitely had me laughing in movies like Bridesmaids, The Heat, and Spy. Rather, it’s just that McCarthy for quite a while now seems to have been stuck making comedies that, those three films excluded, fall into one of two distinct groups. Those groups being either movies that just aren’t really consistently funny or which have talented people to help support the film overall (Jason Bateman in Identity Thief for example) which in turn makes the movie in question perhaps a bit more on the bearable side than it might be otherwise. Yet there are moments in our lives where we must admit, however begrudgingly, that we might have been wrong about something and for me this is definitely one of those times. I say that because upon seeing the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 2018’s Can You Ever Forgive Me?, I am now convinced that McCarthy genuinely does have what it takes to be a fantastic actress. I say this dear reader because this slice of cinema is one that is surprisingly yet also happily great through and through. To be sure, there are some issues here and there with the finished product, but when you factor in winning work both behind and especially in front of the camera by McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, and a collection of terrific support talent, what you are given is a movie that, despite its title, doesn’t require you to forgive it. Rather, it requires your time, your attention, and your praise and trust me when I say that it most definitely is deserving of all three.

The plot is as follows: Taking us back in time to the long-ago year of 1991 and based on a true story no less, our riveting slice of cinema gets its intriguing narrative underway via an introduction to a woman by the name of Lee Israel. A woman who, among other attributes, is a writer living in New York who is doing everything she can to simply make it another day in this world. This is even more problematic when you realize that, even though a biography she penned is on no less a prestigious place then the New York Times Best-Seller list, her exasperated agent simply cannot for the life of her get a publisher to agree to publish Lee’s latest book she has been working as of late. Why you may ask? Well it might be the fact that Lee has a bit of an issue with alcohol or that when societal manners were being passed out Lee was tragically skipped or even the fact that she has no regard for how she looks let alone cannot take her name and make it more into a brand (a difficult thing for any author to do incidentally). Perhaps though the biggest problem though isn’t just all of the above. Rather, it’s the fact that Lee’s multitude of problems are all ones she has conjured up for herself only to then consistently deny that they are her fault in the first place. At any rate, we soon see that Lee decides to just do what she does best and just go drown her problems at one of her favorite establishments in the form of a bar in NYC’s East Village known as Julius. It is here incidentally where she winds up crossing paths with an old acquaintance of sorts by the name of Jack Hock. A sneaky and quite over the top yet charming enough individual who first encountered our heroine awhile back following a rather…distinct way of sabotaging a quite stodgy party the two were in attendance at. We soon see that this unconventional dynamic duo become besties of a sort. A bit fortunate in terms of timing really because we soon see that, during some time in the New York Library, Lee is able to discover a valuable handwritten letter from a famous individual and, upon being told that if it were livelier it might be worth more after taking it to a nearby bookshop to sell, begins to hatch a rather unscrupulous plan. That being to take her writing ability to fake personal letters from a variety of distinct individuals and then sell them off. However, when she learns that her letters are being looked by no less an entity than the FBI, we see that an undeterred Lee decides to enlist Jack to aid her by acting as a seller for the letters she pens despite being aware that this scheme might have a bit of an expiration date attached to it. As for how much longer this scheme does actually wind up going on as well as the impact that it has on the lives of Lee and Jack to say nothing of their friendship that dear reader I shall leave for you to discover for yourself…..

Now in regards to the work done behind the camera, it should be noted that what we are given here is actually well-done all things considered. Indeed, in the aftermath of her debut directorial effort in 2015, we see that film helmer Marielle Heller here is able to showcase that she is definitely a skilled director albeit with no distinct cinematic signature save for the elements that you would typically see in a movie like this. As it is, we see that this slice of cinema comes equipped with a brownish range of color on display to say nothing of some fairly uncomplicated editing options that help to showcase this film’s rather particular setting in the form of 1990s New York. A time and place where not only were there still independent bookstores seemingly everywhere you looked to say nothing of LGBT haunts around the city still being a bit unconventional, but if you either were alive in that time and place or know about it from watching Woody Allen’s filmography that he made in the 80s then I have no doubt you will be able to recognize with a degree of wistfulness when and where this film is occurring. It is also worth pointing out here that this slice of cinema’s script is one that excels at being quite humorous yet not ever half-baked in any way with a fair amount of the comedy on display being given to us through the prism of literary criticism. As a result, this not only makes for some wonderful winks and nods littered through the narrative about quite a few people in that particular world, but also a fairly scathing (when you stop to think about it) rebuke towards both our heroine for choosing to engaging in the actions that she did to say nothing of the people who would buy the particular items that our heroine has chosen to forge simply because of the value of the name attached to them. It is also worthy of note here that this slice of cinema also is the blessed recipient of a truly dynamite collection of old-school jazz songs that help to make up its distinct yet highly enjoyable musical accompaniment. A musical accompaniment incidentally that, when partnered up with the aforementioned style of shooting by this slice of cinema’s helmer, does a heartbreakingly great job at really showcasing for us both how withdrawn and alone our main character truly is, but also desperate attempts to do whatever she can to bring forth into the world around her the magic that was at one time a thriving part of her life. Indeed if there really is a particular issue so to speak with any of the work done behind the camera, I would think that it would be located in this slice of cinema’s sense of tempo due to it making how this movie goes along take longer than, if I’m being honest, it really ought to. Even with that hiccup in mind though, there is no denying that the team behind the camera manages to do a wonderful job here.

Of course, the other big component that can either make or break a slice of cinema like this would have to be the work done in front of the camera by the cast of players assembled to bring the characters in the movie to life. In that regard, this slice of cinema is the blessed recipient of not one, but two incredibly stellar performances. The first of these performances, much to my own internal and external surprise I am willing to admit, is the one given by Melissa McCarthy in the lead role of Lee Israel. Indeed I know, as I said at the beginning of this review, that a lot of her choices in terms of movies hasn’t always been the best, but thankfully I can say that her work in this is definitely an exception to that rule. Indeed, in the role of Lee, McCarthy manages to bring a really potent mix of grumpiness, mean-spiritedness, alcoholism, social awkwardness, and yet also empathy to the film that manages to make Lee a riveting three-dimensional character that you equally care about whilst also being repulsed by in equal measure.  Just as phenomenal as the turn brought to us by McCarthy is, it is matched brilliantly by the one given to us by the iconic Richard E. Grant as Jack Hock. Indeed be it his performances as Zander Rice in 2017’s Logan and Jack Seward in the 1992 Dracula or his legendary turns in the masterpieces Hudson Hawk and Spice World from 1991 and 1997 respectively (I kid, I kid) to name but a few examples, Grant has always been a performer who I have enjoyed immensely whenever he pops up in something and that is definitely the case here as well. I say this because, in the role of Jack Hock, Grant does a wonderful job at giving us a character who, much like McCarthy’s take on Lee, is a strange mix of endearing yet also despicable. This is because whilst he is in fact the only friend Lee has and their friendship is oddly genuine if also a bit hesitant in nature from the perspective of both parties, the fact also remains that Hock is very much an unrepentant, drug-fueled, and extremely hasty individual who it seems cannot for the life of him be trusted to either take care of himself to say nothing of make a decision that would even remotely come close to being able to qualify as “good” in nature. Indeed, it is a very difficult tightrope to traverse from an acting perspective, but hats off to Grant for being able to do so in a way that feels more in the vein of refreshingly human than it does at being run of the mill or archetypal in any way, shape, or form. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in some wonderful co-starring turns from such talents as the always enjoyable Jane Curtin, McCarthy’s real-life spouse Ben Falcone, Dolly Wells, and character actor Marc Evan Jackson amongst others it’s clear to me that this slice of cinema may have some peculiars here and there, but the work done by this cast of players most assuredly is by no means one of them.

All in all and at the end of the day is the slice of cinema that is Can You Forgive Me a flawless film? Well, pardon the pun, but I hope you can forgive me for telling you that most assuredly is not the case. At the same time however is this one film that is absolutely terrible and not worth your time/effort to sit down and watch? Honestly I wouldn’t say that either. To be sure, there are flaws here and there with this film including a sense of pacing that makes things move at a tempo that, given the movie’s plot doesn’t entirely work as well as it ought to. Even with that in mind however, there is no denying that the work done by the various departments behind the camera are most assuredly more than capable and the performances given by the cast of players assembled in front of the camera all manage to give really good turns in this with the exceptions of Melissa McCarthy as well as Richard E. Grant who are truly exceptional in this as Lee Israel and Jack Hock respectively. Suffice it to say that whilst it might not be a perfect movie, Can You Ever Forgive Me is not only a genuinely great movie to begin with, but it is also intriguing proof of a rather distinct cinematic theory in action. That being that if you give an actor the right material rather than the same ol, same ol that they are used to then that actor can rise to the occasion and not only give you a performance that is truly outstanding in every way possible, but which can also make a movie like this something special to behold. Make of that dear reader what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Can You Ever Forgive Me “2018” a solid 4 out of 5.