Melissa McCarthy stars as Lee Israel, the best-selling celebrity biographer (and cat lover) who made her living in the 1970’s and 80’s profiling the likes of Katherine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estee Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. When Lee found herself unable to get published because she had fallen out of step with the marketplace, she turned her art form to deception, abetted by her loyal friend Jack (Richard E. Grant).
Can you Ever Forgive Me? is nominated for 3 Academy Awards: Best Leading Actress (Melissa McCarthy), Best Supporting Actor (Richard Grant), and Best Adapted Screenplay.