“I Care a Lot” follows Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike), a crooked legal guardian who drains the savings of her elderly wards and uses unfair but legal means to obtain all of their assets. Of course, she meets her match when her latest ward turns out to have a much darker background than she lets on.
Marla is selfish and cold-hearted. What she does to these elderly people is utterly cruel. I hated her character, which is why Pike is so good at portraying these characters: we as the audience should hate her. It is difficult to want to root for her even when the movie wants you to because she is so awful. However, it felt like Marla had barely any substance to her character other than being a heatless psychopath. I wish we had just a little bit of background on her and why she is so self-serving. But then again, maybe that was the point. The movie wants to be a critique of capitalism, specifically within the healthcare industry, and uses Marla to convey that “good” does not often prevail in a world ran by capital. Some people really are just selfish and cruel because they can be.
As much as the movie wants to be a critique of capitalism and the healthcare industry, it doesn’t seem to fully commit to it. There are truly no likable characters, save for maybe Mrs. Peterson, yet each of them continued to get what they want even with the challenges they faced. That could be seen as realistic since plenty of undeserving people in real life manage to get what they want, however the reality of it is a bit diminished by a plot that ends up somehow involving the Russian mafia.
The first two acts are deliciously fun. Rosamund Pike does what she does best, aided by Eiza Gonzalez as Fran, Marla’s business partner and girlfriend, and expands on the deviously cool persona that she brought to life in Amy Dunne in “Gone Girl” seven years ago. Pike and Gonzalez are effortlessly slick and conniving, although I think Gonzalez is underutilized here. With a cast that also includes Peter Dinklage’s Roman Lunyov as the only real threat to Pike’s Marla, it is hard not to get some enjoyment out of the movie despite the lack of likability with the characters.
The direction the third act heads down is predictable and frustrating up until the very last scene. It starts straying into cliché territory and almost abandons any statement it was trying to make about capitalism or corruption. The director, J Blakeson, narrowly avoids ending the film on a cliché note as the story takes a sudden turn at the last second. It is a turn that both makes up for the predictable nature of the third act and something that you probably won’t see coming.
“I Care A Lot” certainly has its flaws and I doubt it will be one of my favorites of the year as more films are released, but it is still worth a watch for its stylish fun and sleek editing. If you are looking for a blend of the black comedy and thriller genres, then you are sure to enjoy this.
