Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
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Can You Ever Forgive Me? Movie Review
Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a 2018 biographical dramedy film directed by Marielle Heller and starring Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant. It’s such a good, very engaging movie.
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“You’re a horrid cunt, Lee.
You too, Jack“
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This is one of those biopics that are more fun and irregular than your typical boring genre flick. It’s a dramedy and I loved that about it as it’s very much dark and sad and existential in its themes and characters’ journeys, but ultimately it’s more entertaining than heavy thanks to such an interesting energetic, playful and comedic tone to it. Its dark humor is great.
So I love biopics like this and ‘I, Tonya’ and I hope to see more of those. The only problem here is the first act which is actually rather slow and far less interesting than the other two acts, but the second act gets things into motion quickly and the third act is wonderful. Ultimately, I’ve had a blast watching it and I appreciated its rather unconventional characters and storyline.
This is the movie that shows everyone that an LGBT film can be done without people knowing it which is exactly what happened to me as I did not know at all that both of its characters are gay. But that ultimately benefited the movie as it’s relatable to anyone, but with the added flavor to the said group who should love this film. On the surface its characters seem stereotypical, but these stereotypes are true to some extent, especially in that period, and I appreciated the movie for focusing on that.
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The relationship between the two is superb. Watching Lee Israel and Jack Hock fool around and eventually become accomplices in this forging crime was a lot of fun and the movie’s at its best when it’s focusing on the two together because I personally found Israel’s relationships and interactions with other women rushed and not as interesting as they could have been.
Richard E. Grant is very good here. At first, this character seemed one-note as the clumsy hedonist, but ultimately he showed his emotional side and Grant excelled throughout playing this role and thus he undoubtedly deserved his Oscar nomination.
But Melissa McCarthy deserves the most kudos when it comes to this film. I have always said that she’s a great actress and not just in comedies, though this film certainly has the bigger foot in the comedy than in the drama genre. But she’s awesome here not only in her many funny lines, but also in the more emotional and introspective sequences. I loved her performance because it wasn’t forced and felt genuinely natural so her Oscar nomination is also very much earned and I’m so glad that now she could get more serious work as she was nominated in the leading role which is huge for her.
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Can You Ever Forgive Me? is better than ‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’ which was good, but this is even better. That means that Marielle Heller is shaping up to be one of the best female directors working today and I’m looking forward to her next movie. Admittedly, this film isn’t well paced and it’s not cinematic enough for me, but still the dialogue and humor are so great and the characters are so vivid that I ended up hugely enjoying it regardless.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? has a somewhat less interesting first act, but the rest of the film is highly engaging and amusing, especially in its terrific dialogue and great humor. The film is at its best when its two characters are interacting together as those scenes are wonderful. Richard E. Grant delivered such a good performance, but it’s Melissa McCarthy who carries the entire film on her shoulders, showing everyone how great she can truly be when given the right role.
