Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

The film finally gives Melissa McCarthy the dramatic vehicle she deserves in this intimate biopic of literary forger Lee Israel. It is modest but compassionate, highlighting dignity, friendship, and a career-best nuanced performance from McCarthy alongside strong chemistry with Richard E. Grant.

Melissa McCarthy delivers a substantial dramatic role with verbal inventiveness and pathos that reveal the character's core identity. The film is a fiercely composed, historically informed work that insightfully explores artistic life, money, and the era's cultural shifts.

Heller delivers a small-scale delight with a deft handling of tone and huge empathy for its marginalised characters. The terrific performances from McCarthy and Grant anchor a funny, poignant portrait of human frailties and outsider lives.

Melissa McCarthy gives a finely nuanced dramatic performance as the caustic Lee Israel, turning a malcontent into fascinating company. The wry, melancholy narrative is faultlessly directed, with pleasures in its details of forgery and re-creation of a fading Manhattan bookstore world.

The film turns Melissa McCarthy's grouchy curmudgeon into a surprisingly sympathetic figure through a strong dramatic turn. It balances low-stakes crime drama, buddy comedy, and period detail while humanizing a difficult character with affection and insight.

McCarthy gives a dowdy and determined revelation as the caustic biographer-turned-forger, supported by a barnstorming Grant. Heller’s rich, melancholy character study of gay mid-life loneliness and last chances is powered by the vanity-free performances and a tack-sharp script.

Melissa McCarthy brings warmth and humanity to the prickly Lee Israel in an impressive departure that reveals insights into friendship, loneliness, and creative insecurity. The film offers a uniquely female perspective on outsiders passing judgment on polite society while channeling wit into forgery.

McCarthy is stupendous as the bright, bored forger galvanised by insecurity, while Grant is sublime as her partner-in-crime. Heller juxtaposes sordid details with romantic touches to create a funny, mainstream-appealing story of singletons behaving badly that achieves greatness on the sly.

Praises how everything—performance, script, direction, cinematography—works in perfect concert in this melancholy tale of forgery and friendship, highlighting McCarthy and Grant as superb.

Commends the terrific odd-couple pairing of McCarthy and Grant in this believable dark comedy about an extraordinary writer's life, with exquisite supporting performances and strong production design.

Lauds the authentic recreation of 1991 New York atmosphere and the powerhouse acting showcases for McCarthy and Grant in this witty, sad literary-hoax story directed by Heller.

The film offers a visceral depiction of the loneliness of fakery through Lee Israel's story of forgery as a cover for deeper isolation and need for connection. It is an empathetic, observant portrait that finds unexpected emotional truth in small moments and character dynamics.

The film displays a style of modern studio filmmaking subsumed by character and narrative, with dialogue that openly addresses motivations and backstories. McCarthy offers a committed case for her dramatic viability, though signs of a more mysterious queer film appear around the edges.

Highlights McCarthy's change-of-pace performance capturing both unpleasantness and vulnerability in this understated, sympathetic portrait of self-loathing, loneliness and the psychology behind the forgery scheme.

Marielle Heller's charming, melancholic film gives Melissa McCarthy her best performance as a forger dreaming of fame. It deepens her brand through an intimate biopic of Lee Israel's misguided scheme.

The rapport between Richard E. Grant and Melissa McCarthy offers deeper pleasures than the main plot, with effortless chemistry and grounded performances that highlight their characters' friendship. The film retains a devilish vibe thanks to Lee's unrepentant defiance, though some sentimental elements feel less convincing.

The critic praises Melissa McCarthy's magnificent performance as the odious literary forger Lee Israel and Richard E. Grant's bleakly hilarious turn as her co-dependent drinking buddy. The film is a horribly fascinating true-crime black comedy that defies expectations of sympathetic characters while capturing authentic details of desperation and forgery.

The film is a surprisingly rewarding dramedy anchored by strong performances from Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant in this true story of literary forgery. The director handles the material smoothly, though pacing in some scenes could be tighter.

Lee Israel emerges as one of the year's most interesting characters in a performance by Melissa McCarthy that atones for lesser roles. The film resists moralizing about her misdeeds while capturing the literary and personal textures of her forgery scheme.

The critic praises the empathetic portrayal of the protagonist and the physical details of the forgery work but notes the film relies on clichés in depicting self-sabotage and finds some banter musty.

The critic praises Melissa McCarthy's shift to a natural, heartfelt dramatic performance as Lee Israel, calling it a revelation, and highlights Richard E. Grant's perfect supporting turn as her charming but flawed friend.

The critic calls it an unexpected little gem that feels real and lived-in, praising its subtle portrait of a flawed woman and Heller's assured direction without glossing over the character's faults.

The film is a very good biopic with outstanding performances by McCarthy and Grant that capture the story's contradictions and humanity, though it doesn't push boundaries as much as the subject might allow.

McCarthy delivers an astonishing, best-to-date performance as the abrasive Lee Israel, making her compelling and sympathetic. The film is a thoughtful, acerbic story about loneliness and the fear of being forgotten, anchored by exceptional work from both leads.

It is a hugely likeable movie about wholly unloveable criminals, with mean, selfish and hilarious central performances from McCarthy and Grant. Heller keeps a low-key look that suits the shabby, low-stakes mood of this minor grift story.

Melissa McCarthy has never been better in this remarkable true-life tale of writer-turned-forger Lee Israel. Heller delicately balances whip-smart acerbic wit and tragedy in a melancholic, smart cautionary tale.

The critic praises Melissa McCarthy's dramatic turn as the misanthropic forger Lee Israel, highlighting her ability to convey rage and bitterness without maudlin sentiment. The review singles out the strong supporting performances, especially Richard E. Grant as her accomplice.

The critic praises Melissa McCarthy's stellar performance as a complicated, lonely woman and the film's empathetic portrayal of middle-age sadness, while noting it could have delved more into the protagonist's internal life.

The review finds the film entertaining and involving as it follows Lee's descent into deception, singling out Richard E. Grant's scene-stealing charm and Melissa McCarthy's lingering performance for praise.