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Watching: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Feb. 5th, 2019 09:25 pm2019 seems to be shaping up to be the Year of the Biopic; six weeks in, six films, six biopics. This week's was Can You Ever Forgive Me? (which I keep wanting to call Can You Forgive Her? but I know that's Trollope and not a biopic), about Lee Israel, a struggling writer who turns to forging letters from literary figures to keep a roof over her head and pay the vet's bills for her elderly cat.
It's a witty, entertaining film; Richard E Grant has attracted a lot of acclaim (and a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination) for his portrayal of Israel's friend and accomplice Jack Hock, a deeply camp, Withnailesque small-time criminal, but for me Melissa McCarthy is the undisputed star as Israel; awkward, alcoholic and more attached to her cat than to any other human being, a jobbing biographer whose agent tells her she needs to put more of herself in her writing, but who displays a previously unsuspected talent for mimicking the correspondence styles of famous writers. It also turned out to be a film with almost no heterosexual characters, so bonus points for queer representation.
Next week it looks like a choice between Green Book (possibly a bit worthy, quite probably a Bloke Film) and All Is True (excellent cast, so ought to be good, or entertaining at least, but the trailer leaves me a little worried that it will actually be a bit stagy and laboured), though the actual decision will probably depend on whether All Is True is sticking around for a second week.
It's a witty, entertaining film; Richard E Grant has attracted a lot of acclaim (and a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination) for his portrayal of Israel's friend and accomplice Jack Hock, a deeply camp, Withnailesque small-time criminal, but for me Melissa McCarthy is the undisputed star as Israel; awkward, alcoholic and more attached to her cat than to any other human being, a jobbing biographer whose agent tells her she needs to put more of herself in her writing, but who displays a previously unsuspected talent for mimicking the correspondence styles of famous writers. It also turned out to be a film with almost no heterosexual characters, so bonus points for queer representation.
Next week it looks like a choice between Green Book (possibly a bit worthy, quite probably a Bloke Film) and All Is True (excellent cast, so ought to be good, or entertaining at least, but the trailer leaves me a little worried that it will actually be a bit stagy and laboured), though the actual decision will probably depend on whether All Is True is sticking around for a second week.
