A fantastic — and serious — performance by Melissa McCarthy anchors this based-on-a-true story of the author Lee Israel, famous in the 70s/80s for her biographies of famous women, but down on her luck in the 90s. Lee, a cantankerous, misanthropic, insecure person, discovered that forging letters from famous but long dead authors could pay the rent. However, you can probably guess that this career path wouldn’t be as long-lasting as hoped. Richard Grant is wonderful as he plays, with style and wit, Lee’s new friend, another down-on-his-luck New Yorker. Lovely NYC scenery and a story that is unsparing but compassionate in its treatment of its characters.
