CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?: Melissa McCarthy’s Best Performance Yet

It’s quite the feeling when an actor finally gets a role deserving of their talents, and the plaudits to go alongside it. As President of the ‘Melissa McCarthy is one of Hollywood’s Best Actresses Today’ society, that her latest foray – Marielle Heller‘s Can You Ever Forgive Me? – offers her a character of dramatically-complex proportions for her to sink her teeth into, it’s an absolute joy to witness the re-birth of a star. With no disrespect to her comedic output – Bridesmaids, Spy and Ghostbusters are among my genre favourites, and I’ll defend Identity Thief and The Boss until my dying breath – this is the role we have been waiting for: the clearest testament of her natural aptitude to date.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? is based on the life of Lee Israel, who fell on her times in the 1990s after her profiles and biographies of high-achieving women fell out of favour with the public. Broke and no longer able to get her writing published, to some degree because of her prickly personality, she begins forging – and later stealing – letters from literary greats and selling them on to collectors, with the abettance of new partner-in-crime and friend Jack. When suspicions of her counterfeiting are raised, she faces a life behind bars for her crimes. Adapted from Lee’s memoirs, Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty’s screenplay is a deep, deft and melancholy exploration of loneliness, identity and art, entwined with a scorching caustic wit and sense of warmth beneath the often dark and sorrowful surface.

“Genuinely touching and profoundly aching”

A genuinely touching and profoundly aching piece of filmmaking, Marielle Heller (in her sophomore effort no less) crafts a film that captures the idiosyncrasies of an autumnal New York in the 1990s with such character and feeling; in a version of NY so rarely portrayed but so richly built, the city becomes not only a setting but a character in its own right, a reflection of the themes of self-imposed isolation at the narrative’s core. There’s a real sense of place, with its colour palette not entirely void of colour but muted nonetheless, conveying a not-so-distant era with detail and nuance.

Easily, this whole thing could become a very cynical affair but thanks to the emotionally-intelligent and sensitive approach Heller brings to the film’s direction, it works so very effectively. More so than anything else, Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a character study of an individual who tries to hold herself at arms length, pushing away almost anyone who shows the slightest inclination of intimacy; as a character, though, you cannot help but feel compelled to her. In a beautifully tender moment, Israel dines with a potential suitor and there’s clearly a connection between them; but with Israel unable to maintain eye contact or soften the often accidental harshness of her misanthropic temperament, that spark is stifled before it has started. It’s painfully human filmmaking.

It’s another way in which Holofcener and Whitty’s screenplay works so effectively; as well as the more overt depiction of loneliness, it is a stirring exploration of the woe of (some) queer romance(s). It never becomes the centrepiece but with exquisitely-drawn texture, the screenplay considers the emotional suppression experienced by LGBTQ+ individuals: Israel is unable to surrender to her emotions by maintaining the wall she has built around herself as her natural defence to such affection and intimacy, a heartbreaking vulnerability that makes the character all the more authentic.

Fascinating still is that on the queer spectrum, she is the complete opposite to Jack – much more unfaltering in his sexuality – which is perhaps what makes them such firm friends, forming a formidable dynamic. He is perhaps the one and only person who can begin to understand her since “Elaine”, another narrative element that conjures a powerful response.

An award-worthy, career-redefining performance from Melissa McCarthy

Can You Ever Forgive Me? also features one of the year’s strongest soundtracks. Jeri Souther’s “I Thought of You Last Night” so tremendously evokes the themes of loneliness pertinent to the story and characters that populate it, while ‘Goodnight Ladies’ by Justin Vivian Bond strikes that very precise tonal work reflected in the story: playfully, darkly comedic but with a depth and sombreity to its content. Enhanced by a fine score from Nate Heller, Can You Ever Forgive Me?‘s sonic landscape is as emotive as the narrative.

Melissa McCarthy wasn’t always envisioned to play Israel – originally Julianne Moore was attached to the project – but it’s almost as if she was born to play her, elevating the film to new heights with her involvement. McCarthy, as you have never seen her before, gives the best dramatic performance of her career to date. She’s ferocious yet vulnerable, losing herself in Israel and fully embodying her spirit and psyché to extraordinary, transformative effect.

She sensitively constructs the complicated Israel but never skimps on her infamously prickly nature, offering a brilliantly complex turn that plays to her comedic sensibilities fantastically; while not strictly written as a comedy, McCarthy’s natural instincts come into play which – with Heller trustfully embracing – allows Lee to leap off the page. Thankfully, those heavier, harder-hitting moments land with such weight, having been introduced and grown closer to a more fully-realised character with shades of good and bad, right and wrong. We can all recognise parts of ourselves in Lee and that is rather remarkable.

With such a magnetic performer as McCarthy at the helm, you feel Lee’s every setback, rise and defeat with such rawness, imbued with a heartfelt compassion that few could achieve with such confidence and precision. Rendered is a complex, complicated character who is far from likeable but infused with a sympathy – and perhaps even empathy – that the audience hold towards here. Few people took an interest in Lee Israel but thanks to McCarthy’s tragicomic performance, we’re all invested (if not entirely supportive) of her ‘pure desperation for survival’ actions. It’s an utterly compelling turn from McCarthy and – for my money – worthy of that Best Actress accolade next year.

“As heartbreaking as it is heartwarming”

Richard E. Grant registers a ravishing turn as Jack Hock; a law onto himself, the mercurial character is a buoyant presence but not without his own personal struggles, and Grant plays it absolutely superbly. Brilliantly frisky, with an entrancing gleam in his eyes that suggests his brain is already one step ahead of his mouth, Grant excels when he’s skittish and theatrical and that bolsters the weight of dramatic moments which are delivered just as convincingly. As a matter of fact, the pair’s final scene – a concluding sequence as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming – is so perfect in its execution, an utterly magnificent tribute to their unique friendship solidified by the extraordinarily riveting dynamic between Melissa and Richard. It’s not difficult to imagine the actors becoming the best of friends when this project wrapped, as they are so believable throughout each and every moment of Can You Ever Forgive Me?

It is also worth giving a mention to Dolly Wells for her brief appearance as Anna; with a handful of lovely, touching moments that briefly alleviate some of the (appropriately) bleaker elements of the narrative, Wells‘ turn helps ease the more fragile side of Israel out of her shell, softening the character and strengthening our understanding of her in such a gentle, careful way.

In Conclusion: Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Can You Ever Forgive Me? takes broken, flawed individuals and provokes a great sympathy for their situation and circumstances, primarily through Marielle Heller’s impeccable tonal balancing act and the tender, provoking screenplay from Holofcener and Whitty. The film never attempts to ratify Lee Israel’s plagiaristic activities but it contemplates the reasons for committing such a crime: an anguished need for survival and agency, as well as exploring the relationships that are borne at rock bottom. It tackles the thorny woman at the story’s heart with insight and wisdom, strengthened by Melissa McCarthy’s extraordinary, career-defining lead performance and Richard E. Grant’s solid supporting turn.

A wry, bittersweet but profoundly affecting cinematic experience, Can You Ever Forgive Me? is an astonishing examination of loneliness and detachment in some of the most accomplished musings on such thematics in a while, with a rare LGBT angle empowering it to stand out even more. It is perhaps the most powerfully authentic, yearning and raw piece of filmmaking of the year. Oddly charming, Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a towering achievement for all involved.

What is your favourite dramatic performance from a performer usually associated with the comedy genre?

Can You Ever Forgive Me? is currently released in a limited capacity in the US and will expand into more territories over the coming weeks. A UK release is set for February 1st. More dates can be found here.