3.5 stars out of 5
Reviews by their very nature are not objective, and this one is extra tricky for me, as not only was I friends with Lee Israel for some 17 years, but I also did a little consulting on an earlier iteration of this movie. So you could say that I attended the screening with quite a bit of Samsonite. And that I was still able to find the movie enjoyable and true to Lee’s overall essence is a testament to the filmmakers and cast.
The film is set in early-1990s New York City, and just as the First Man astronauts were isolated from the upheaval of the 1960s, so too is this crowd far removed from the crime, racial strife, and burgeoning youth culture elsewhere in town. Instead, it’s a Woody-Allen-esque love letter to the Upper West Side and a block or two downtown (including her actual favorite bar, Julius’), at a time when bookstores still ruled the earth. The city is shot beautifully, with grey autumn days and snow-coated winter streets.
When lead casting switched from Julianne Moore to Melissa McCarthy, I was concerned that the movie might be moving in a more “madcap” direction, and I’m pleased to report that isn’t the case. The tone here is fairly somber and McCarthy does a solid job conveying Lee’s pride, loneliness, and desperation. The script and direction definitely set out to soften Lee; she is significantly more sympathetic onscreen than she was in real life. Yes, she’s presented as sharp and prickly, but to truly get a feel for Lee Israel in all her ragged glory, look no further than the memoir which served as the source material.
The real standout performance here, in my estimation, is Richard E. Grant as Lee’s friend and partner in actual crime, Jack (not me). Grant is a delight; you immediately want to clink glasses and scamper through the city with him.
Dolly Wells, as a bookstore owner and new pal of Lee’s, is also quite likable. That her storyline isn’t quite resolved is one of the failings of this film, perhaps during the editing process. (There’s also a Lee-and-Jack prank in which the set-up and payoff are spread entirely too far apart.)
Lee delivers a speech late in the film that does not ring true, as spontaneous movie speeches rarely do. Time is compressed — 16 years into a few months — but that’s Hollywood for you. Literary-minded people who are unaware of this story will enjoy this film the most. My former coworkers will really appreciate seeing another side of this cranky woman who they saw in the halls. And those of us who knew her a bit deeper can only smile, comforted to know that Lee Israel has had the last laugh after all.
Thank you for that review. I went to see the film with my mother, a childhood friend of Lee’s from Brooklyn. They grew up in the same apartment building on Ave L.
Her reaction to the film (which I shared) was “Why would anyone want to watch this?” My wife, on the other hand, enjoyed the film for the value of better understanding her mother-in-law.