Can You Ever Forgive Me ? ( film ) - wikipedia Can You Ever Forgive Me ? ( film ) Can You Ever Forgive Me ? Theatrical release poster Directed by Marielle Heller Produced by Anne Carey Amy Nauiokas David Yarnell Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener Jeff Whitty Based on Can You Ever Forgive Me ? by Lee Israel Starring Melissa McCarthy Richard E. Grant Music by Nate Heller Cinematography Brandon Trost Edited by Anne McCabe Production companies Archer Gray Productions Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures Release date September 1, 2018 ( 2018 - 09 - 01 ) ( Telluride ) October 19, 2018 ( 2018 - 10 - 19 ) ( United States ) Running time 107 minutes Country United States Language English Box office $586,504 Can You Ever Forgive Me ? is a 2018 American biographical drama film directed by Marielle Heller and with a screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, based on Lee Israel 's memoir of the same name. It stars Melissa McCarthy as Israel and follows her as she tries to revitalize her failing writing career by forging letters from deceased authors and playwrights. The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2018, and was released in the United States on October 19, 2018, by Fox Searchlight Pictures. It received widespread acclaim from critics, with both McCarthy and Grant 's performances being lauded. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Release 5 Reception 5.1 Box office 5.2 Critical response 6 References 7 External links Plot Lee Israel, who made her living in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s writing profiles of high - achieving women, has gone broke because she is no longer able to get her writing published, her writing style being considered outdated. After getting into a fight with her agent, who is unable to secure her an advance for her latest book, Israel turns to selling her possessions to cover her expenses. She tearfully parts with a cherished personal letter from Katharine Hepburn, fetching a substantial sum of money for it from a local dealer. While conducting research for her upcoming book, about Fanny Brice, at the New York Public Library, Israel stumbles upon a letter from Brice tucked away in one of the books she is reading. Israel sneaks it out of the library and attempts to sell it to the same dealer who bought her Hepburn letter. The dealer offers a low price for the Brice letter due to its lack of interesting content. Israel begins selling letters that she has forged that appear to have been written by deceased writers, playwrights and actors, aided by her friend Jack. She laces her letters with intimate details and unguarded expressions of the purported authors ' thoughts and feelings to command a higher price from dealers. When a letter that Israel says was written by Noel Coward raises suspicion, people stop buying letters from her. After reports of her forgeries become more widespread, the FBI begins investigating her and warns dealers against buying her letters. One unscrupulous dealer Israel had sold to threatens to tell the FBI about her crimes unless she pays him $5,000. Unable to come up with the money by selling forgeries herself, she has Jack sell forgeries for her and then begins stealing actual letters from library archives and having him sell them. Jack is caught trying to sell such a letter and is interrogated by the FBI ; he quickly tells them that Israel put him up to it. Soon after, she is served with a court summons by two FBI agents who tell her that she can not destroy any evidence related to their investigation. She promptly returns home and throws away all of her forgery paraphernalia. Israel retains a lawyer who advises her that she will likely face jail time for her fraud. He urges her to show contrition before the court by getting a job, doing community service and joining Alcoholics Anonymous. In court, Israel confesses that she does not truly regret her actions, as she enjoyed making the forgeries and was proud of her work. She does, however, admit that the consequences her crimes brought on to her were not worth it. The judge sentences her to five years of probation and six months of house arrest. Some time after her sentencing, Israel reunites with Jack and tells him that she plans to write a memoir about her experience as a forger. She asks for his permission to write about him in the memoir, and he reluctantly agrees. Israel begins writing happily, seeming to be fulfilled by the project. Some time later, Israel passes a book store and sees a letter that she forged by Dorothy Parker on display in the window. She tells the store owner that she would like to buy it but balks when he asks for $1,900. Disgusted, Israel writes him an insulting and sarcastic letter from `` Dorothy Parker '' ( who was already deceased ) telling him that the Parker letter on display in the window is a forgery. Having realized he was duped, the owner goes to the window to remove the letter. As he is taking it off the display, he pauses, looks down at the letter, and places it back where it was. Cast Melissa McCarthy as Leonore Carol `` Lee '' Israel, a writer of celebrity biographies. When her sales fell, she resorted to forging letters from more famous writers to pay her bills. Richard E. Grant as Jack Hock, Lee 's loyal friend. Dolly Wells as Anna, a lonely bookshop owner. Jane Curtin as Marjorie, Lee 's impatient agent. Anna Deavere Smith as Elaine, Lee 's ex-lover. Stephen Spinella as Paul, a gullible collector. Ben Falcone as Alan Schmidt Shae D'Lyn as Nell Michael Cyril Creighton as Harry Kevin Carolan as Tom Clancy Marc Evan Jackson as Lloyd Tim Cummings as Craig Christian Navarro as Kurt Joanna Adler as Arlene Production In April 2015, it was announced that Julianne Moore would play Israel, with Nicole Holofcener set to direct. On May 14, 2015, Chris O'Dowd joined the cast. In July 2015, Moore dropped out of the project. In May 2016, Melissa McCarthy was confirmed to be playing Israel, with Marielle Heller directing from Holofcener 's script. In January 2017, Richard E. Grant, Jane Curtin, Dolly Wells, Anna Deavere Smith, and Jennifer Westfeldt joined the cast. Filming began in January 2017, in New York City, and concluded on March 2, 2017. Release Can You Ever Forgive Me ? had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2018. It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2018. The film waa then released in the United States on October 19, 2018. Reception Box Office Can You Ever Forgive Me ? grossed $161,510 from five theaters in its opening weekend. In its second weekend has grossed $356,365 from 25 theaters. Critical response On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 99 % based on 103 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2 / 10. The website 's critical consensus reads, `` Deftly directed and laced with dark wit, Can You Ever Forgive Me ? proves a compelling showcase for deeply affecting work from Richard E. Grant and Melissa McCarthy. '' On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating `` universal acclaim ''. References Jump up ^ `` Can You Ever Forgive Me ''. Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved July 24, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Can You Ever Forgive Me ? ( 2018 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 28, 2018. ^ Jump up to : McNary, Dave ( May 31, 2016 ). `` Melissa McCarthy to Play Novelist and Literary Forger Lee Israel ( EXCLUSIVE ) ''. Variety. Retrieved January 30, 2017. Jump up ^ Child, Ben ( April 10, 2015 ). `` Steal Alice : Julianne Moore to play celebrity letter forger ''. The Guardian. Retrieved January 30, 2017. Jump up ^ Kroll, Justin ( May 14, 2015 ). `` Chris O'Dowd to Co-Star With Julianne Moore in ' Can You Ever Forgive Me ' ( EXCLUSIVE ) ''. Variety. Retrieved January 31, 2017. Jump up ^ McNary, Dave ( July 15, 2015 ). `` Julianne Moore Leaves ' Can You Ever Forgive Me ? ' ''. Variety. Retrieved January 30, 2017. Jump up ^ N'Duka, Amanda ( January 30, 2017 ). `` Richard E. Grant & More Join Melissa McCarthy In ' Can You Ever Forgive Me ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 30, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Can You Ever Forgive Me ? '' ( PDF ). Directors Guild of America. Retrieved March 2, 2017. Jump up ^ Tapley, Kristopher ( August 30, 2018 ). `` ' First Man, ' ' Front Runner ' and ' Roma ' Among 2018 Telluride Film Festival Selections ''. Variety. Retrieved August 30, 2018. Jump up ^ Vlessing, Etan ( July 24, 2018 ). `` Toronto : Timothee Chalamet Starrer ' Beautiful Boy, ' Dan Fogelman 's ' Life Itself ' Among Festival Lineup ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 24, 2018. Jump up ^ Donnelly, Matt ( December 13, 2017 ). `` See First Image of Melissa McCarthy as Celebrity Forger Lee Israel ( Photo ) ''. The Wrap. Retrieved December 14, 2017. Jump up ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony ( October 21, 2018 ). `` ' Halloween ' Scares Up Second - Best October Opening With $77 M+ ; Best Debut For Blumhouse & Carpenter Canon ; Great Launch For Miramax ''. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved October 21, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Can You Ever Forgive Me ? ( 2018 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 29, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Can You Ever Forgive Me ? Reviews ''. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 29, 2018. External links Can You Ever Forgive Me ? on IMDb Can You Ever Forgive Me ? at Rotten Tomatoes Films directed by Marielle Heller The Diary of a Teenage Girl ( 2015 ) Can You Ever Forgive Me ? ( 2018 ) You Are My Friend ( 2019 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Can_You_Ever_Forgive_Me%3F_(film)&oldid=866407211 '' Categories : 2018 films English - language films 2010s comedy - drama films American films Films shot in New York ( state ) American comedy - drama films American LGBT - related films 2010s LGBT - related films LGBT - related comedy - drama films LGBT - related films based on actual events Films directed by Marielle Heller Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Italiano 日本 語 Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 30 October 2018, at 03 : 45 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. 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Question: when does can you ever forgive me come out
Answer: October 19, 2018