The Price Of A Perfectly Fake Page
A lonely hustle turns into a high-wire act where every detail can betray you. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018), directed by Marielle Heller and starring Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, and Jane Curtin, plays like a true-crime character study with sharp edges and very little comfort. It’s also an adaptation of Lee Israel’s memoir, and the conversation leans into how closely the film tracks the texture of the source. The setup is disarmingly small: a struggling writer finds a market where “authenticity” is a product—and language becomes the tool. From there, the film builds tension through sales meetings, research routines, and the constant fear of being found out.
Join us—Pete Wright and Andy Nelson—as we kick off our True Lies series with a conversation about Can You Ever Forgive Me?.
Why Can You Ever Forgive Me? Hits Different In True Lies
This isn’t a story powered by charm or swagger, and that’s part of what makes it unsettling. Pete and Andy dig into how the film finds sympathy without asking the audience to simply “like” its central figure.
Voice As Identity Theft
The episode gets specific about the kind of fraud on display here: not forged checks or fake IDs, but the theft of a voice. The discussion centers on how the film treats writing itself—tone, rhythm, persona—as the real act of impersonation.
Craft, Process, And The Allure Of The Operation
One lane is pure mechanics: tools, methods, and the day-to-day workflow that turns a desperate idea into a repeatable practice. Andy is cooler on the filmmaking flash, while Pete enjoys how the movie makes the process legible and tense.
Economics, Markets, And What Gets Rewarded
They connect the story to the business of art: publishing tastes, advances, and who gets paid for words. The collectibles ecosystem becomes its own character—small, hungry, and obsessed with paperwork that says “real.”
Key Discussion Points
- The “True Lies” framing: deception stories built on broken trust and real-world stakes
- Melissa McCarthy’s dramatic gear-shift and how casting affects audience access
- Richard E. Grant as a mirror character and accelerant for chaos
- Adaptation fidelity: specific beats that feel lifted straight from Lee Israel’s memoir
- Overconfidence and hubris as the engine that pushes risk upward
- Addiction and compulsion parallels (drinking, stealing, self-sabotage patterns)
- The discomfort of an abrasive protagonist who weaponizes sarcasm
- “Research montage” energy and what makes process scenes compelling (or not)
- The tiny, niche marketplace for letters and autographs—and why it matters
- Authenticity as a product: provenance, paperwork, and incentives to believe
Pete and Andy land in a similar place: they admire the performances and the film’s quiet bite, even if the experience can feel emotionally chilly. For listeners who like true stories where the real tension is interpersonal—and where the scam is built from language rather than gadgets—this one makes a strong case.
We have a great time talking about it, so check it out then tune in. The Next Reel—when the movie ends, our conversation begins!
🎬 Watch & Discover
- 🎥 See Our Full Conversation on YouTube
- 🍿 Watch the Film: Apple TV | Amazon | Letterboxd
- 📽️ Original Theatrical Trailer
- 📚 Adapted from Can You Ever Forgive Me? A Memoir of a Literary Forger by Lee Israel
If You Liked This, Try These Other The Next Reel Episodes:
- Life of the Party (Guilty Pleasures series) for more comedic Melissa McCarthy
- Hudson Hawk (Guilty Pleasures series) for more comedic Richard E. Grant
- The Diary of a Teenage Girl (Coming of Age Debuts series) for more Marielle Heller
