---
title: "Can You Ever Forgive Me?: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/can-you-ever-forgive-me/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/can-you-ever-forgive-me"
critics_score: 79
critics_reviews: 29
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018): what the critics said

Critics' score 79 from 29 reviews: 28 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics respond warmly to this melancholy account of literary forgery, with praise concentrated on Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant. The reviews credit McCarthy with making Lee Israel’s bitterness and vulnerability equally believable, while Grant supplies charm and a persuasive companion in loneliness. Their rapport is a recurring pleasure, alongside the wit of the script and the lived-in New York setting. Heller’s direction is widely admired for finding sympathy for difficult people without excusing their behaviour.

The spread is largely between approval and enthusiasm, with reservations about pacing, sentiment and how far the character study goes. The Hollywood Reporter finds some scenes could be tighter, while Sight and Sound objects to familiar depictions of self-sabotage and stale banter. Film Comment sees hints of a more mysterious queer film beneath the explicit dialogue about motives and backstories. These reservations rarely displace the shared appreciation of the central performances.

## The AV Club — Katie Rife

Rating A-. 17 October 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.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/can-you-ever-forgive-me-finally-gives-melissa-mccarthy-1829791085)

## The New Yorker — Richard Brody

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 October 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/can-you-ever-forgive-me-reviewed-melissa-mccarthy-finally-gets-the-dramatic-role-she-deserves)

## Empire — Ian Freer

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 28 January 2019. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/can-ever-forgive-review/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-can-you-ever-forgive-me-review-20181016-story.html)

## RogerEbert.com — Monica Castillo

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2018. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/can-you-ever-forgive-me-2018)

## Total Film

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2019. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/can-you-ever-forgive-me-review/)

## Variety — Peter Debruge

Rating Critics Pick. 2 September 2018. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/can-you-ever-forgive-me-review-melissa-mccarthy-1202924611/)

## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 February 2019. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/can-you-ever-forgive-me-review-mccarthy-and-grant-steal-the-limelight-as-singletons-behaving-badly-a4055036.html)

## Little White Lies — David Jenkins

Rating 4/4/4. 29 January 2019. 

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.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/can-you-ever-forgive-me)

## Radio Times — Karen Krizanovich

Rating 4/5. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ts1r8m/can-you-ever-forgive-me/)

## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf

Rating 4/5. 29 January 2019. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/can-you-ever-forgive-me)

## Vulture

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 October 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/10/can-you-ever-forgive-me-review.html)

## Film Comment — Teo Bugbee

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/short-take-can-ever-forgive/)

## Screen Daily

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2018. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/can-you-ever-forgive-me-toronto-review/5132487.article)

## IndieWire — Eric Kohn

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2018. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/can-you-ever-forgive-me-review-melissa-mccarthy-telluride-1201999826/)

## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/can-you-ever-forgive-me/)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 January 2019. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jan/30/can-you-ever-forgive-me-review-melissa-mccarthy-richard-e-grant)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Stephen Farber

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2018. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/can-you-ever-forgive-me-review-1139236/)

## The New York Times — A.O. Scott

Rating Critic's Pick. 16 October 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/movies/can-you-ever-forgive-me-review-melissa-mccarthy.html)

## Sight and Sound — Abbey Bender

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2018. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/can-you-ever-forgive-me-first-look-building-sympathy-literary-forger)

## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 January 2019. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/can-you-ever-forgive-me-2018-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## The Playlist — Gregory Ellwood

Rating B+. 2 September 2018. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/can-you-ever-forgive-me-review-20180902/)

## Consequence

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2018/10/film-review-can-you-ever-forgive-me/)

## Den of Geek — Don Kaye

Rating 4/5. 18 October 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/can-you-ever-forgive-me-review/)

## NME — Olly Richards

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 30 January 2019. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/can-you-ever-forgive-me-review-2440629)

## The Skinny — Joseph Walsh

Rating 4/5. 2 February 2019. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/can-you-ever-forgive-me)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 October 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/can-you-ever-forgive-me-film-review-melissa-mccarthy-lee-israel/)

## Collider — Adam Chitwood

Rating B. 26 October 2018. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/can-you-ever-forgive-me-review-melissa-mccarthy/)

## /Film — Marshall Shaffer

Rating 7.5/10. 15 September 2018. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/561008/can-you-ever-forgive-me-review-tiff/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/can-you-ever-forgive-me.md