Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) and her partner-in-crime Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant) are two such dyed-in-Zabar’s characters. With nowhere left to turn, Israel begins forging celebrity letters from the likes of Franny Brice, Noel Coward, Dorothy Parker and Louise Brooks. “I’m a better Dorothy Parker than Dorothy Parker,” says Israel with genuine pride. As Israel, she’s a gloriously embittered, hard-drinking curmudgeon incapable of holding her tongue — a distinctly New York creature if ever there was one. “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” sings best — or rather, grumbles spectacularly — when McCarthy and Grant are together.

Source: National Post October 15, 2018 18:33 UTC