Based on the true story of Lee Israel, a sad sack of a woman, who was convicted in the 90’s for copying, forging & selling letters for profit. She was a Best Selling author, but when her career went south, she became a difficult person with a drinking problem and lots of financial issues. This is a pretty interesting story. Films like this and others such as “Big Eyes” & “The Wife” I have found fascinating mainly because the stories are so “out there”. They’re crazy situations, but they’re perpetrated by your average person. They’re not necessarily bad people either. In this case, Israel is having some bad luck and is looking for an outlook, She’s very talented, but doesn’t trust her ability on her own merit. Now, this isn’t the most enjoyable movie to sit through. Melissa McCarthy, who plays Israel is terrific, but she is also a miserable person to be around. She drinks like a fish, hates people, doesn’t take care of herself, her apartment and has a horrible disposition. Those people aren’t fun to watch, but once she starts the committing her crime, the film becomes a lot more interesting. You know she gets caught, but it’s how that you’re waiting for. Richard E. Grant plays her gay loser friend that helps her out and he is really good too. I liked this movie. This film won’t sit in your memory for very long and I don’t think many really care about Lee Israel, but it’s a well written story that is extremely well acted.
Rating (***)
Eric at the Movies 