Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Lee Israel once wrote the definitive biographies for Hollywood royalty, but by the late 1980s, her name held no weight in New York publishing circles. Unable to secure new commissions or sell her manuscripts, she faced a stark choice between obscurity and desperation. This tension drives the narrative of Can You Ever Forgive Me?, a film that balances dark humor with the quiet tragedy of an artist who has lost her footing.

Director Marielle Heller guides this adaptation of Lee's own memoir, casting Melissa McCarthy in the role of the sharp-tongued, alcoholic writer. She is joined by Richard E. Grant as Jack Hock, a charming con man and fellow outcast who helps her forge letters from famous dead authors. The production remains intimate, focusing on character dynamics rather than grand spectacle, which aligns perfectly with its modest box office return of roughly $8.6 million against a limited release strategy. [edit]

The story opens in New York City during the late 1980s, where Lee Israel sits in a cramped, cluttered apartment surrounded by her cats. Once the go-to ghostwriter for celebrity memoirs, she finds herself cut off from the industry after her style fell out of fashion and her reputation suffered from alcoholism. Rejected manuscripts pile up while bills mount, forcing her to confront a bleak reality: she cannot make a living writing about people anymore. Her only solace comes from her feline companions and her deep knowledge of literary history, which becomes the seed for a dangerous scheme.

While browsing a rare book store, Lee discovers that original letters from deceased icons like Noël Coward and Dorothy Parker command high prices among collectors. Instead of selling them, she decides to create them herself. Using her encyclopedic memory of their styles and handwriting, she begins crafting convincing fake letters. Her initial attempts are solitary affairs, but the isolation proves unsustainable. She soon meets Jack Hock, a flamboyant, down-on-his-luck drifter with a penchant for old books and a history of petty crime. Jack offers to handle the social side of their operation, introducing Lee to dealers and navigating the black market while she focuses on the forgery itself.

Their partnership evolves into a strange symbiosis built on mutual addiction to drink and the thrill of the con. They travel together to book fairs and networking events, presenting Lee as a respected author and Jack as her enthusiastic assistant. As they forge more letters from figures like Frank Sinatra and Lillian Hellman, they amass enough cash to escape their immediate poverty. However, the strain of maintaining their lies grows heavier. Jack’s erratic behavior and increasing health issues begin to fracture their bond, while Lee wrestles with the guilt of betraying the very writers she claims to honor. The FBI eventually takes notice of the surge in suspicious sales, closing in on the duo as they attempt one last big score at a restaurant.[edit]