Can You Ever Forgive Me? (15)

When a biography writer gets fired from her day job, she accidently falls into a new career that involves forging celebrity letters for a living. But the consequences are significant, putting her freedom, friendship, and integrity to the test. A biographical drama starring Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, and Dolly Wells.

Once a successful author, Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) has written biographies for Hollywood’s elite, including Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, and Estee Lauder. But times are tough and her books aren’t flying off the shelves like they used to.

When her publisher fires her and tells her nobody is going to pay for her work, it couldn’t come at a worse time. She’s fallen behind on the rent, her ex-girlfriend is ignoring her calls, and her cat is sick.

When she stumbles on a letter written by silver screen star Fanny Brice, she embellishes it with her own writing and sells it on in a desperate plea to try and pay the bills. It gives her bank balance and ego a much-needed boost, and she realises how lucrative this newfound money-making ploy could be…

Lee recruits her friend Jack (Richard E. Grant) into her scheme, determined to turn it into a fully-fledged career. But what starts off at as a bit of joke quickly spirals into one of the biggest literary frauds of all time, testing her friendship, her freedom, and her integrity.

Can You Ever Forgive Me is based on a true story and the memoir by Lee Israel. The film is directed by Marielle Heller, famed for her impressive debut of The Diary of a Teenage Girl and stars Melissa McCarthy (The Heat), Richard E Grant (Gosford Park), and Dolly Wells (Bridget Jones’s Diary).

Cert: 15

Running time: 1hr 44mins