It’s difficult to watch reprehensible people do reprehensible things, but it’s made worse when I Care a Lot tries to paint the main character as the lesser evil in a film that is full of them — be they other characters or the obviously broken system that drives their lawfully criminal dealings. Tonally inconsistent, writer-director J Blakeson takes a big swing and misses with regards to the film’s message. Rosamund Pike gives a fiery, powerhouse performance, but there is something completely missing from I Care a Lot that makes it a hard pill to swallow.
Marla Grayson (Pike) is a court-appointed guardian. She and her working partner/girlfriend Fran (Eiza González) work with a team of shady doctors, nursing homes, and the court to legally place the elderly — specifically those with no family to come for them — under Marla’s care. As legal guardian, she swindles her client’s resources (money, personal assets, etc.), draining them of everything they have for years on end. Marla is ruthless, fierce, a self-proclaimed “lioness” who is cruel, heartless, and unsympathetic. It’s as though she’s detached from her viciously conniving acts, convinced that she’s merely doing what other successful, money-hungry business people would do to secure their bag. Pike’s performance leans into that iciness, with Marla’s need to win at any cost conveyed through the actress’ controlled zeal and determination. Pike’s portrayal is frankly unnerving, a stark antithesis to the film’s obviously ironic title.
Of course, the game can only be afoot when no one is aware of what she’s doing and that changes when Marla and Fran go after Jennifer Peterson (Dianne Wiest), an incredibly wealthy woman with an inordinate amount of assets and no family or children to speak of. In a series of unfortunate events, Jennifer is placed into Marla’s care, with a doctor faking her dementia diagnosis and need for emergency intervention. She’s whisked off to a nursing home where she is drugged, her daily routine controlled by Marla, and her phone taken away, leaving her with no connection to the outside world. However, Marla is in for a rude awakening when Roman Lunyov (a fantastic Peter Dinklage), a powerful business man with connections to Jennifer, comes out of the woodwork to find her.
I Care a Lot starts off fairly strong, but it asks too much of its audience — namely, to believe that anyone in the film is remotely worth rooting for when things take a downward spiral. Yes, Marla is stealing from the rich, those who would shrug their shoulders at the harm they have also caused in their attempts to remain on top. In that vein, however, Blakeson is also asking the audience to watch the systemic elderly abuse happening as a part of a plot that begins with greed and injustice and turns into a chase-like thriller with unexpected twists, kidnappings, and attempted murder.
To be sure, the message that the system is corrupt is important, but there isn’t enough time spent on exploring exactly what that means beyond offering a few details about the clearly horrifying deeds and structures that uphold such abuse. In the case of the film, there is simply no lesser evil, with everyone playing a role in capitalizing on abusing the elderly. That Marla is set up in a battle-esque situation with Lunyov undermines the entire point of the film. What’s more, its tone swings wildly from being a dark comedy to a violent thriller, entirely unclear regarding what it wants to be.
I Care a Lot isn’t all bad, offering a plethora of acerbic moments that highlight the depravity of its characters and the system it adamantly wants to critique. The performances are top notch, with Pike effectively wielding her character’s power and agenda like nobody’s business. However, the film ultimately fails in remaining consistent, opting for twists and turns that can be as engaging as they are tedious, before losing the plot completely.
I Care a Lot is available to stream on Netflix as of February 19. The film is 118 minutes long and is rated R for language throughout and some violence.
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