Can You Ever Forgive Me?
2018 · Movie · R · 106 min · ★ 6.8 · 93% critics
A bestselling celebrity biographer finds it harder and harder to get her work published, so she turns to deception to keep going. As her schemes grow, she pulls a close ally into a dangerous, confidence-testing situation where the fallout can’t be contained.
Based on Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Where to watch
Streaming on Disney+ — or rent from $3.99.
2 hours to watch.
Stream (included)
Rent
Streaming availability and prices may be inaccurate or change — verify with the provider before subscribing.
unSUB's subscription recommendations are informational only, not financial advice.
More value for your money
Similar titles, ranked by watch-hours per subscription dollar.
Details
- Years
- 2018
- Release date
- 2018-10-19
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Critic score
- 93/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.8/10 (1,350 votes)
About
You’ll like this if you want a darkly funny, unexpectedly emotional crime story about loneliness and creative desperation in 1990s New York; Not for you if you want a likable heroine or brisk pacing, or if you prefer films like Capote or Baby Reindeer.
Pros: standout lead performance; witty, poignant tone; strong onscreen duo | Cons: slow start for some; mixed feelings on empathy; uneven pacing
Themes
- new york city
- based on novel or book
- cat
- biography
- based on true story
- author
- alcoholic
- woman director
- curious
- forgery
- female writer
Awards & recognition
- Dorian Award — LGBTQ Film of the Year · 2018
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Cast & crew
Melissa McCarthy
as Lee Israel
Richard E. Grant
as Jack Hock
Dolly Wells
as Anna
Ben Falcone
as Alan Schmidt
Gregory Korostishevsky
as Andrei
Jane Curtin
as Marjorie
Stephen Spinella
as Paul
Christian Navarro
as Kurt
Pun Bandhu
as Agent Doyle
Erik LaRay Harvey
as Agent Solanas
Directed by Marielle Heller