In Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Melissa McCarthy stars as Lee Israel, the best-selling celebrity biographer (and cat lover) who made her living in the 1970’s and 80’s profiling the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estée Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. When Lee found herself unable to get published because she had fallen out of step with the marketplace, she turned her art form to deception – forging letters and documents from famous authors and figures and selling them to interested buyers – abetted by her loyal friend Jack (Richard E. Grant).
Adapted from Israel’s own bestselling memoir by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty and directed by Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl), Can You Ever Forgive Me? has received rave reviews from critics. It’s also currently nominated for three Academy Awards. Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant have been nominated for their performances, as well as the screenplay.