Can You Ever Forgive Me?

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Movie
German title Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Original title Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2018
length 107 minutes
Age rating FSK 0
JMK 10
Rod
Director Marielle Heller
script Nicole Holofcener ,
Jeff Whitty
production Anne Carey ,
Amy Nauiokas ,
David Yarnell
music Nate Heller
camera Brandon consolation
cut Anne McCabe
occupation
synchronization

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (English for "Can you ever forgive me?") is a biography by Marielle Heller that premiered on September 1, 2018 at the Telluride Film Festival and was released on October 19, 2018 in US cinemas. A start in Germany took place on February 21, 2019.

At the 2019 Academy Awards , the film received a total of three nominations, including Melissa McCarthy for Best Actress.

action

In 1991, 51 year old Lee Israel lost her job. The lesbian writer lives alone in her shabby apartment in Manhattan, had worked for years as a celebrated magazine journalist and during this time also celebrated success with writing biographies. Her agent Marjorie also makes it clear to her that her biographies are no longer in demand and that no publisher wants to publish her works. Writer's block and their tendency to drink too much make the situation worse. Now that she can no longer pay her bills and can barely afford a decent meal, her Jersey cat is sick and her otherwise benevolent landlord is slowly losing patience because she is three months behind on her rent, she begins to have her last possessions and to move well, starting with some of the books in her possession, but for which she does not get a lot of money. One evening in a bar she runs into Jack Hock, an eccentric drug dealer whom she met a while ago at a party and whose invitation she accepts for a drink.

While selling a written message that she had once received from Katharine Hepburn , she learns that there is apparently a thriving collector's scene. After she discovered a letter from the vaudeville artist in a book while doing research in the library for a new biography about Fanny Brice , pocketed it and also sold it, one night she had a saving idea on her typewriter. She begins to forge letters from celebrities like Noel Coward or Marlene Dietrich and sell them for hundreds of dollars each. Lee can finally pay off her debt. She gets hold of different types of typewriters and types more and more letters on old paper. She also forges the signatures. Lee is particularly proud of a number of letters from Dorothy Parker , and the dealers are also delighted with the sometimes very personal contents of the letters. The bookseller Anna is also one of her customers. When she tries to build a friendship with her, Lee fails because she does not want to and cannot maintain interpersonal contacts at the moment.

At first she didn't want to tell Jack about her new job, but when one of her customers pointed out that the authenticity of two of the letters she had sold had already been questioned and that she was on a list, which is why no one will buy any more letters from her , she needs Jack's help more than ever. Also because the FBI is on their heels and warns bookshops and auction houses about the counterfeits, they come up with a new plan. She begins to steal real letters and notes from a library archive, which she replaces with forgeries. However, because Jack is also on the FBI's wanted list, he is caught and interrogated in a planned sale. An indictment against Lee quickly follows. Even if she removes all papers and typewriters from her apartment and is represented by a lawyer, the evidence is overwhelming. Her lawyer recommends a fresh start, visits to Alcoholics Anonymous, and volunteer service. Although Lee doesn't really regret her actions in court, she is sentenced to a mild five years probation and provisional house arrest. Jack is given three years probation.

Jack has betrayed her, but because Lee wants to write a book about their common crimes, she asks him for his consent, gets a little cat again and starts to work. However, Lee cannot quite help writing letters in someone else's name. She invents a witty letter from Dorothy Parker from the afterlife, in which she draws the attention of a bookseller to the fact that he is offering a forged letter from a certain Lee Israel for sale.

Biographical

Lee Israel is played by Melissa McCarthy in the film , here at the premiere in Toronto in September 2018

The film is based on the memoirs of Lee Israel , entitled Can You Ever Forgive Me? from 2008. The Brooklyn-born Jewish writer began her career as a freelance writer in the 1960s. In November 1967 she portrayed the actress Katharine Hepburn in an issue of Esquire , whom she had visited shortly before the death of her partner Spencer Tracy .

She wrote articles for magazines until the 1970s and later began working on biographies for actress Tallulah Bankhead , journalist and presenter Dorothy Kilgallen, and cosmetics tycoon Estée Lauder . Kilgallen's biography sold well and landed on the New York Times bestseller list .

In order to earn money afterwards, she began to forge letters from deceased writers and actors. Their number is estimated at over 400. Later she stole real letters and hand-signed papers of famous people from archives and libraries and replaced them with copies. She sold both fake and stolen original works. After questioning by FBI agents, she destroyed any evidence she dumped in public garbage cans, including more than a dozen typewriters that she had used to simulate various typefaces. Nevertheless, Israel pleaded guilty in June 1993 and was sentenced to six months of house arrest and five years probation.

In her memoir, Israel confessed to her crimes in detail. The autobiography, published in 2008, caused controversy, "because here a fraudster and forger still capitalized on her crimes," according to the allegation. In it, it is said, she also stated that she was “proud of her unconventional business idea”.

Lee Israel died on December 24, 2014. Jack Hock died more than twenty years earlier, on October 19, 1994, according to the credits of the film.

production

Directed by Marielle Heller . Lee's novel was adapted by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty . The film music was composed by Nate Heller , the director's brother. The soundtrack for the film, which comprises a total of 15 pieces of music, was released for download on October 12, 2018. A CD will follow a week later.

For Melissa McCarthy , who played Lee Israel in the film, film became an affair of the heart after learning of Lee's curious story. McCarthy's husband, Ben Falcone, was originally supposed to get a role as supporting actor in an earlier attempt to film the book. McCarthy was so intrigued by Holofcener's script and its protagonist on their second attempt that she persuaded the producers, who were about to give up the project for good, to take it up again. Richard E. Grant plays Lee's gay confidante Jack Hock. Jane Curtin stars as Lee's impatient agent Marjorie and Stephen Spinella as the gullible collector Paul. Anna Deavere Smith plays Lee's ex-girlfriend Elaine in a brief appearance .

Brandon Trost acted as cameraman . Antje Wessels comments on the result that a desaturated gray-in-gray underlines the sadness in Lee Israel's life on an optical level, which does not change even as Lee's upward trend over time: “Never saw one of blossoms Tulip-strewn flower meadow looks more desolate than in Can You Ever Forgive Me? "

The film premiered on September 1, 2018 at the Telluride Film Festival . The film celebrated its international premiere on September 8, 2018 at the Toronto International Film Festival . It was released in US cinemas on October 19, 2018. A theatrical release in Germany took place on February 21, 2019. It was shown at the Hof Film Festival in October 2018 .

reception

Age rating

In the USA, the MPAA gave the film an R rating due to the drug and alcohol consumption shown, which corresponds to a release from the age of 17. In Germany, the film was approved by the FSK without any age restriction. The statement of reasons for the release states: “Children offer settings and characters that are far removed from their everyday reality, hardly any points of contact or opportunities for identification. Therefore, the casual portrayal of alcohol and drug consumption does not fascinate them. The criminal activities are plausibly classified as wrong and condemned, which is why they also have no negative effect. "

Reviews

British actor Richard E. Grant plays Lee Israel's gay confidante Jack Hock in the film

So far, the film has received approval from 98 percent of all Rotten Tomatoes critics and achieved an average rating of 8.2 out of a possible 10 points. This puts it in the top 10 best LGBT films of all time.

Eric Kohn of IndieWire writes that Melissa McCarthy , whose wild appearances have so far been limited to comedies that couldn't show what she could look like under more realistic circumstances, will succeed in her role in Can You Ever Forgive Me? finally projecting their talents on a more sophisticated level. Whenever the camera captures her facial expression, it becomes a study of the contradictions and shows them hard and tender at the same time.

The script, written by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty , shows the hallmarks of the tragicomic balance that characterizes so many of Holofcener's female character studies, Kohn said. The film culminates in a final monologue when Lee Israel celebrates her own work in front of a merciless judge.

Michael Ranze of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Kino writes that one cannot praise McCarthy's acting performance enough: “It doesn't gloss over Israel's character and still makes a multi-layered person out of her.” The film critic Antje Wessels writes: “The fear for her cat and her McCarthy mimes desperation about her impending bankruptcy so sensitively and believably that one only hopes for the best for her, although she is not entirely innocent of this situation. On the other hand, in the arguments with her publisher, the tatters fly in a rough way. ”The Lee Israel portrayed in the film cannot be put into a prefabricated figure drawer, Wessels continues:“ Whether heroine, anti- heroine , victim, perpetrator - all of these categorizing terms apply just as little to Israel as to her accomplice Jack Hock. "

Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter also says the film allows McCarthy to use her gift for dry humor, but the actress also delivers some poignant moments that she has not shown often. Farber also emphasizes the relationship with Jack, played by British actor Richard E. Grant , who, as Lee's gay confidante and accomplice in the sale of the forged letters, can be seen in his best role for years. Farber goes on to say that Marielle Heller also captures a lively feeling of place and time in her choice of music, and that pieces that are often played in lively new recordings provide a delightful background. The musical highlight is Blossom Dearie's interpretation of Henry Mancini's Charade , which Farber describes as the perfect musical conclusion to this disarming film.

Thomas Schultze von Blickpunkt: Film means that Heller is telling a kind of American Schtonk with the film ! , but you immediately take the scratchy, badly coiffed, unkempt, failed and gruff Lee to your heart: “She is, as she is accused at the very end, 'a horrid cunt', no question about it, and yet you are excited about her tightrope walk Life as she gets herself up with every new setback and carries on: A mixture of the misanthropic Harvey Pekar from American Splendor and Billy Bob Thornton's Bad Santa , who only trusts her cat and finally becomes friends with an equally stranded and even more unreliable soul, the gay Jack Hock, played absolutely gorgeous by Richard E. Grant, who one would wish for more such roles. "

The German Film and Media Assessment gave the film the rating of particularly valuable . The jury statement states: “Grant and McCarthy are undoubtedly brilliant actors. The fact that they work so brilliantly with one another is at least partly due to Marielle Heller's excellent acting. ”During the discussion, the jury was deeply impressed by their ability:“ Your film is not only an excellent biopic, but also a film that a bigoted as well as elitist literary scene given powerful swipes. "

Awards (selection)

British Academy Film Awards 2019

Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2019

  • Nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay (Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty)
  • Nomination for Best Actress (Melissa McCarthy)
  • Nomination for Best Supporting Actor (Richard E. Grant)

Golden Globe Awards 2019

Gotham Awards 2018

Independent Spirit Awards 2019

  • Award for Best Screenplay (Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty)
  • Award as Best Supporting Actor (Richard E. Grant)

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2018

Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards 2019

  • Award with the Artisan Award (Melissa McCarthy)

National Board of Review Awards 2018

New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2018

Academy Awards 2019

Palm Springs International Film Festival 2019

  • Received the Spotlight Award (Melissa McCarthy)

Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Awards 2018

  • Award as Best Supporting Actor (Richard E. Grant)

Satellite Awards 2018

  • Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty)
  • Nomination for Best Film Actress (Melissa McCarthy)
  • Award as Best Supporting Actor (Richard E. Grant)

Screen Actors Guild Awards 2019

Toronto International Film Festival 2018

Writers Guild of America Awards 2019

  • Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty)

synchronization

The German synchronization was created based on the dialogue direction and a dialogue script by Sven Hasper on behalf of RC Production Kunze & Wunder GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin.

actor Voice actor role
Melissa McCarthy Anke Reitzenstein Lee Israel
Richard E. Grant Frank Röth Jack Hock
Pun Bandhu Armin Schlagwein Agent Doyle
Brandon Scott Jones Arne Stephan Glen
Tina Benko Cornelia Waibel Karen
Rosal Colon Anne Düe Rachel

Web links

Commons : Can You Ever Forgive Me?  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for Can You Ever Forgive Me? Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF; test number: 183795 / K). Template: FSK / maintenance / type not set and Par. 1 longer than 4 characters
  2. ↑ Age rating for Can You Ever Forgive Me? Youth Media Commission .
  3. ↑ a b Personal details: Lee Israel. In: Der Spiegel, August 4, 2008.
  4. ↑ a b Michael Ranze: Can You Ever Forgive Me? In: programmkino.de. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  5. ↑ a b c Antje Wessels: Can You Ever Forgive Me? In: filmstarts.de. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  6. ↑ Nate Heller Scoring Marielle Heller's 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' In: filmmusicreporter.com, November 7, 2017.
  7. ↑ 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' Soundtrack details. In: filmmusicreporter.com, October 11, 2018.
  8. ↑ Melissa McCarthy has signed up for a black humor biopic. In: moviepilot.de, May 31, 2016.
  9. ↑ https://wessels-filmkritik.com/2019/02/18/can-you-ever-forgive-me/
  10. ↑ Dave McNary: Richard Grant, Jane Curtin Join Melissa McCarthy's 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?'. In: Variety, January 30, 2017.
  11. ↑ a b Stephen Farber: 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?': Film Review. In: The Hollywood Reporter, October 19, 2018.
  12. ↑ Start dates Germany In: insidekino.com. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  13. ↑ Feature films 2018. In: hofer-filmtage.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  14. ↑ Can You Ever Forgive Me? In: kids-in-mind.com. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  15. ↑ Reasons for release for Can You Ever Forgive Me? In: Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  16. ↑ Can You Ever Forgive Me? In: Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  17. ↑ 200 Best LGBT Movies of All Time. In: Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  18. ↑ Eric Kohn: 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' Review: Melissa McCarthy Gives Her Best Performance as a Forger Who Dreams of Fame. In: indiewire.com, September 1, 2018.
  19. ↑ Thomas Schultze: Can You Ever Forgive Me? mediabiz.de. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  20. ↑ Can You Ever Forgive Me ?. Jury reasoning: Predicate particularly valuable. In: German film and media evaluation. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  21. ↑ Pete Hammond: Critics Choice Awards: 'The Favorite' 14 Nominations; 'Black Panther' A Marvel; 'First Man' rebounds; 'The Americans' Leads TV Series. In: deadline.com, December 10, 2018.
  22. ↑ Golden Globes: List of Nominees. In: The Hollywood Reporter, December 6, 2018.
  23. ↑ Ramin Setoodeh: Ethan Hawke's 'First Reformed' Leads Gotham Awards Nominations. In: Variety, October 18, 2018.
  24. ↑ Independent Spirit Awards: 'Eighth Grade,' 'First Reformed' Among Best Feature Nominees. In: The Hollywood Reporter, November 16, 2018.
  25. ↑ Zack Sharf: National Board of Review 2018 Winners: 'Green Book' Named Best Film, Lady Gaga Best Actress. In: indiewire.com, November 27, 2018.
  26. ↑ Erik Anderson: Philadelphia Film Critics: 'ROMA' Best Picture, Barry Jenkins Best Director, Viola Davis Best Actress. In: awardswatch.com, December 8, 2018.
  27. ^ Karen M. Peterson: International Press Academy Announces Nominees for 23rd Annual Satellite Awards. In: awardscircuit.com, November 29, 2018.
  28. ↑ Paul Sheehan: 2019 SAG Awards nominations: Full list of Screen Actors Guild Awards nominees. In: goldderby.com, December 12, 2018.
  29. ↑ Dave McNary: WGA Awards 2019: 'Can You Ever Forgive Me ?,' 'Eighth Grade' Win Screenplay Awards. In: Variety, February 17, 2019.