'I Care a Lot' Review
R: Language throughout and some violence
Runtime: 1 Hr and 58 Minutes
Production Companies: STXfilms, Black Bear Pictures, Crimple Beck
Distributor: Netflix
Director: J Blakeson
Writer: J Blakeson
Cast: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Chris Messina, Dianne Wiest
Release Date: February 19, 2021
Netflix
Poised with sharklike self-assurance, Marla Grayson is a professional, court-appointed guardian for dozens of elderly wards whose assets she seizes and cunningly bilks through dubious but legal means. It's a well-oiled racket that Marla and her business partner and lover, Fran, use with brutal efficiency on their latest "cherry," Jennifer Peterson - a wealthy retiree with no living heirs or family. But when their mark turns out to have an equally shady secret of her own and connections to a volatile gangster, Marla is forced to level up in a game only predators can play - one that's neither fair nor square.
We’ve seen many crime stories that center on the most despicable con people whose backward, slimy practices involve exploiting people beneath them that factor in their rise to power. I mean, you have a bunch of people in business school right now aching to be the next Jordan Belfort because that’s how much The Wolf of Wall Street affected their tiny brains. Now we have the #GirlBoss version of that in I Care a Lot and for the most part, it’s as fun and wild as a con artist crime thriller can be.
If you see me grow out my hair and trim it to a short bob, you’ll know I’m in my bad bitch era. Clearly, Rosamund Pike is back in hers. When you see her sport that bob, you know she’s portraying a deliciously devious, scheming scammer that’s up to no good. That short bob became iconic when she played Amy Dunne in David Fincher’s Gone Girl and we know how killer she was in that (hehe). Does her contract explicitly state that if she’s playing a scammer, she must don an Amy haircut? If so, I love it. In J Blakeson’s chic thriller I Care A Lot, she plays Marla Grayson, a scammer who is out to win like never before. As Marla, Pike once again delivers a confident, frighteningly determined, and captivating performance as a court-appointed guardian who is set to win by exploiting a system for old people and taking their riches in the process. She’s cold and cruel, ready to take down anyone who stands in the way of her and her money. This can be considered the first rich, white, blonde lesbian supervillain origin story before the young Ellen Degeneres cartoon comes out. Pike relishes this role and to say she slays it is an understatement. It’s Pike’s movie through and through, despite its downfalls and slightly formulaic approach, her performance makes it feel refreshing.
Rosamund Pike aside, the rest of the cast is incredible and each actor shines in their respective role. Eiza González plays Marla’s right-hand woman and loving girlfriend, Fran. Their dynamic is the primary emotional resonance that makes Marla slightly human and watching them together keeps you on your toes. Chris Messina pops up briefly as an intimidating lawyer to the big bad, and the big bad himself is the phenomenal Peter Dinklage as gang leader Roman. The film’s central plot regards Marla’s guardian con crossing paths with an old woman who happens to be the mother of a Russian mob boss. It's been a while since I’ve seen Dinklage in a role post-Game of Thrones and he’s goddamn terrifying in this film. It’s his growling, low octave voice and his dead stares that shoot you down faster than his gun. He’s clearly having a good time in this menacing role and he’s a bigger threat than ever before. Par for the course of fun is the neverending back and forth between the characters trying to one-up each other.
J Blakeson’s I Care a Lot definitely falls into the trappings of many films of its type. It reminded me of Doug Liman’s 2017 film American Made, which would make for a good double feature. They’re two separate movies with different energies but carry the same amount of high-stakes crime and chaos. Blakeson’s script has the entertaining wit and character-driven personality to let you have fun. For the most part, it doesn’t rise up to be anything special beyond simply being entertaining… until the midpoint. Once things get wild, the film provides a great time all the way through its divisive ending. I Care a Lot doesn’t do anything new to reinvent the wheel or reinvigorate the formula of crime thrillers, but its solid screenplay has its own wit and the captivating lead kills it with her performance, resulting in a fun movie viewing experience.
