One of the biggest surprises to come out in 2020 was J Blakeson’s I Care A Lot, starring Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, Jack Reacher), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), and Dianne West (I Am Sam, Edward Scissorhands), the film saw Marla Grayson, a professional court-appointed guardian for dozens of elderly wards take advantage of the system through cunning tactics in order to profit off her victims. Marla comes across a “cherry” – a wealthy retiree with no living family; however, Grayson soon discovers that Ms. Peterson has a dark secret of her own that can risk everything that she’s worked hard for. The film received some solid critical praise for its pitch-black humor and currently stands at 75% on rotten tomatoes. Rosamund Pike even received a Golden Globe nomination for her role as a Marla Grayson. Now, it’s clear that no one is proclaiming that this is the best film ever made, but based on the low 35% audience score, is it possible that this film just isn’t as good as critics proclaim it to be? Let’s dig deeper into the world of I Care A Lot.
I Care A Lot is a tricky film. There’s no denying that the Netflix movie is well made. There are plenty of gorgeous shots throughout the film, namely the first meeting between Marla and Peter Dinklage‘s Roman Lunyov. However, just because a film looks good, doesn’t always mean that its actually good. The thing about I Care A Lot is we’re following a group of ugly people. Marla Grayson is the very definition of a charming theft. Someone who seems very sweet and kind on surface level; however, she’s truly a cutthroat lioness who has screwed the elder out of their money. Her crimes are extremely upsetting. Imagine living life normally one day and out of nowhere, you’re being forced into a retirement home because of some scheme to dry you out of your funds. What’s worse, is that scams like this have happened in real life. Marla may not be a pedophile or serial killer, but her actions are still deplorable thus it’s extremely hard to root for her character.
In fact, the only sympathetic character in the film (other than the scammed elderly) is Macon Blair’s Feldstrom. Him shooting and killing Marla felt justified due her heinous actions. Jennifer Peterson gets a nod for being sympathetic as well. Despite her sketchy past and lifestyle in general, the woman was simply minding her own business until Marla knocked on her front door. Even though we actually want to see Roman Lunyov get his mother back, he’s not exactly a character to root for either. He’s a gangster, so his life revolves around killing and hurting people. Plus, he actually partners up with Marla towards the end of the film, meaning he’s not above Marla’s crimes to make a quick buck. However, despite the lack of sympathetic characters, I Care A Lot has a set of fascinating people that are intriguing to watch. Just like American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman or Pulp Fiction’s Vincent Vega, it’s hard not to keep your eyes glued to the screen because of the world of I Care A Lot. It also helps that Rosamund Pike is such a powerhouse in the role. She embraces her villainy with gusto and charisma and Grayson electrifies every time she’s onscreen. The world of Jennifer Peterson and Roman Lunyov is also intriguing. The mystery of what her real name could actually be a movie itself. The cast of I Care A Lot is strong and carries the film throughout the 1 hour and 58 minute runtime.
Is the story ugly? Yes. In fact, despite everything Marla goes through, she actually gets worse by the time the end credits roll. She doesn’t change nor does it ever dawn to Marla about how she’s damaging lives. However, that’s the point of I Care A Lot. The film is taking a shot at late-stage Capitalism, so the absurdity of Marla’s empire and business growing into a multi-million dollar scheme perfectly fits in with the theme of the movie. In a way, Marla is like a horror movie character. Oftentimes, horror movies purposely make a character so annoying or deplorable that they want us to cheer for their death. That’s Marla’s case. We don’t feel bad for her and Fran when they get into deep trouble, but we remain fascinated over Marla’s unpredictable journey, no matter how ugly it gets. In the end, I Care A Lot succeeds in the message it’s trying to send. This is not a film for everyone. I Care A Lot is by no means a perfect movie. The pitch-black humor can be hit-or-miss, though the story never bores. It’s a good film, though I understand completely if you wanted to put a bullet in Marla’s head.
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