Melissa McCarthy gets serious – but still caustically witty – to tell the true story of Lee Israel, an alcoholic author who discovers a talent for forging literary letters by prominent writers. This is also an odd-couple film: Israel’s drinking – and, later, her criminal exploits – is enabled by her gay friend Jack (Richard E Grant), which sets up an antisocial-drunks dynamic as bleakly funny as anything in Withnail and I.
Director: Marielle Heller
Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E Grant, Dolly Wells
Rating: CTC
Genre: Biography | Drama