Submitted Photo The 1891 Fredonia Opera House will present “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” starring Melissa McCarthy. It will be screened this Saturday and Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m.

The next feature film in the Opera House Cinema Series is “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” starring Melissa McCarthy. It will be screened this Saturday and Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m.

In “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” McCarthy stars as Lee Israel, the best-selling celebrity biographer (and cat lover) who made her living in the 1970s and 80s profiling the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Este Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. When Israel found herself unable to get published because she had fallen out of step with the marketplace, she turned her art form to deception, abetted by her loyal friend Jack (Richard E. Grant).

Richard Brody, in the New Yorker, calls the film “fiercely composed, historically informed, and richly textured.” Mick LaSalle, in the San Francisco Chronicle, calls it “a highlight of the movie year.” Richard Roeper, in Chicago Sun Times, says “at times ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ is actually quite funny, and of course McCarthy is great in those scenes — but she’s equally effective in the darkest, most dramatic moments. It’s one of the finest performances of the year.” Moira MacDonald, in the Seattle Times, says “by the movie’s too-quick end, all you want is to hang out with these two just a little bit longer.” Rated R for language including some sexual references, and brief drug use, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” runs one hour, 47 minutes.

The Opera House Cinema Series is sponsored by Lake Shore Savings Bank. Tickets are available at the door for $7 (adults), $6.50 (seniors & Opera House members) and $5 (students) the night of each screening. A book of 10 movie passes is available for $60 at the door or online at www.fredopera.org. Thanks to the generous support of an anonymous donor, the first 20 SUNY Fredonia students at each screening are admitted free. For more information, call the Opera House Box Office at 679-1891.

The Opera House is equipped with individualized closed captioning headsets for the deaf as well as with assistive listening headsets for the hearing-impaired. Simply request one from any usher or Opera House staff member.

The 1891 Fredonia Opera House is a member-supported not-for-profit performing arts center located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.fredopera.org.