It seems appropriate that, on a day in which someone presents a document to the public which many suspect has been tampered with to the point of being heavily suspected to be a falsehood meant to give the impression of something it's not (and not for the first time, I might add- see here) that I review a movie about someone who did a similar type of thing.
In this case, it's about a woman who wrote letters purporting to be from celebrities, which she then sold to brokers to be auctioned off to rich collectors, making a small fortune in the process for all concerned. Of course, she was eventually found out and got in serious trouble with the FBI, potentially facing years in prison for her crimes, as innocuous as they might seem, which is more than can be said for what's going on right now. Yet. (We'll see.)
In a rare dramatic turn, comedic actress Melissa McCarthy- who took over for Julianne Moore when she and the filmmakers had a falling out over creative differences- earned herself another Oscar nod (the first was for Bridesmaids), though she ultimately didn't win. She's fantastic in the role- this could open up a whole new avenue for her in the future.
Of course, it's not entirely unprecedented. McCarthy's first big role was on the semi-comedic dramatic series Gilmore Girls and she showed some decent dramatic chops in the indie flick St. Vincent, where actor Bill Murray did most of the comedic heavy lifting. Oftentimes, comedic actors have a real affinity for drama, in fact, as evidenced by the likes of Murray himself, as well as comedians-turned-serious-actors like Robin Williams, Steve Martin and Jim Carrey.
Here, McCarthy plays real-life author Lee Israel, best-known for writing several biographies of left-of-center celebrities like actress Tallulah Bankhead and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. When her latest book tanks, a biography on cosmetician Estée Lauder, as the direct result of Lauder herself putting out a competing autobiography at the same time, Israel finds herself between a rock and a hard place, in terms of paying the bills. Ironically, had Israel accepted Lauder's offer to not do the book for a sizable amount of money, she might have avoided what happened next.
Struggling financially, and not having much luck hawking her latest intended book on comedienne Fanny Brice, Israel, in an attempt to earn some quick cash, sells a letter from actress Katherine Hepburn, who wrote Israel to thank her about a magazine article she wrote about her for Esquire magazine. In addition, she offers up a letter she pilfered from library archives written by Brice.
Impressed with the amount of money she's able to get for the letters, she takes note- no pun intended- when a local seller, Anna (Dolly Wells, Doll & Em) mentions that Israel would have fared even better had the letters been juicier. To that end, Israel takes it upon herself to do just that, using old typewriters and stationery to forge fake letters from old-school celebrities, which she then shops around town to various brokers, who then sell them to collectors for a profit.
By doing so, Israel is able to dig herself out a financial hole and then some. She eventually tells drinking buddy Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant, firmly in Withnail & I mode), who helps her out when the heat inevitably comes down on her and Israel is no longer able to do it herself. The FBI get wind of it when she sells a particularly dubious letter, ostensibly from playwright/composer Noël Coward, in which he none too subtly references his homosexuality at a time in which no one did- for fear of legal trouble, ironically enough.
Perhaps needless to say, it's all downhill from there, a matter not helped by her and Hock's alcoholism and Israel's generally unpleasant disposition, neither of which do them any favors. From there, things play out generally how one would suspect, though the film soft-pedals things a bit more than the reality of the situation IRL for Israel and Hock, which is not to say things still don't get ugly at various points.
The end result is easily one of McCarthy's best efforts to date, and arguably her best overall performance as well. Though the film is pretty dark for the most part, it's not without a dark sense of humor, making it play a bit like something like Barfly, only with more laughs. So, yeah, basically like a real-life Withnail & I, though that film was also largely autobiographical as well.
Interestingly, just as with McCarthy, Grant was not the first choice for the role, which was originally intended for actor Sam Rockwell, who dropped out when Moore did. In addition, so did director Nicole Holofcener (Walking & Talking, Lovely & Amazing), who also co-wrote the script with playwright Jeff Whitty.
Taking over the director's position was Marielle Heller, of The Diary of a Teenage Girl fame, who retained Holofcener and Whitty's script and drafted the film's co-star, Ben Falcone's wife, McCarthy, as the former had already been cast and suggested she might be a good fit for the role. Initially, actor Chris O'Dowd (TV's Get Shorty) took Rockwell's place, but had to drop out when the film's shooting was postponed, on account of his TV show.
Someone suggested Grant for the role, citing the aforementioned Withnail & I, and the film became a huge influence on Can You Ever Forgive Me?, with several nods to it within the narrative, i.e. the cleaning the apartment scene, Grant's ordering "two double whiskeys" and saying "chin chin," etc. If you're not familiar with that film, I highly recommend you check it out- it's very British, but very well-done.
I'm also an even bigger fan of Grant's demented, oddball black comedy How to Get Ahead in Advertising, and though it certainly has its problems, his turn alongside Sandra Bernhard in the somewhat underrated Bruce Willis vehicle Hudson Hawk is worth seeing for those two alone. Grant's been doing solid work for decades, in other words, so it's nice to see him land a truly great role here.
Both he and McCarthy received a slew of awards nominations for their efforts, including Oscar nods for the two stars, as well as screenwriters Holofcener and Whitty. Also, notably, the film landed Independent Spirit Awards for both Grant and the screenwriters. In addition, Grant, McCarthy, Holofcener, Whitty and director Heller and the film itself won multiple other awards to boot, albeit in lesser-known competitions.
Whatever the case, this is a film that is well-worth your time, even if you're not typically a McCarthy fan, or if you've never heard of Lee Israel, or if watching a movie about letter forgery sounds about as exciting as watching paint dry. I assure you, it's much more interesting than it sounds, and the film is filled with memorable, funny and dramatic moments, as well as nice supporting turns by Wells and former SNL star Jane Curtin, as Israel's much- beleaguered agent.
I wasn't sure it would be my cup of tea, either, and I really enjoyed it, which makes two movies I can chalk up to my mom (along with Green Book, which I reviewed earlier this week) that I might not ever have seen otherwise. If anything, I enjoyed them way more than the other movies I watched over this past weekend, and most of those were my own choices. Go figure. (More on those others later on.)
By all means, if this film sounds the least bit interesting to you- or even if it doesn't, but you're a fan of McCarthy and/or of Grant- you should definitely check it out, for sure. It absolutely would have made my Top 25 movies of last year if I had seen it sooner. 😊
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