Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
I Care a Lot is a heist movie from the point of view of the villain. Yet, unlike the group of loveable thieves in Oceans 11, this story is populated by the kind of people who have zero redeeming values. That doesn’t mean it’s not a helluva movie though!
The con here is one you don’t normally see in movies, probably because it’s horrific and disturbingly possible in the real world. A rich old woman is targeted by a woman named Marla (Rosamund Pike of Jack Reacher/Gone Girl) and her group of slimy friends. Using the law to their benefit, they have a doctor sign off on the poor woman’s mental state and a judge sign over her property and her very life to Marla. She then puts her in a nursing home and is now in charge of every aspect of the old woman’s life, including her finances. You see Marla is now her court-appointed guardian and this isn’t her first victim, but it may just be her last.
Watching this movie was the same as seeing a horrible car accident. You know you should look away but you can’t help yourself, because on some level you’re hoping everything will turn out right. But director J. Blakeson keeps you deep in the muck the entire runtime, and at one point I kept asking myself, “Are these people really gonna get away with this?!” It’s a hard movie to stomach for this very reason, but the performance by Rosamund Pike makes it near impossible to look away. Pike’s Marla feels nothing close to guilt about the choices she makes. She is a totally irredeemable character, which is one of the reasons watching her work is equal parts awe inspiring and terrifying. In lesser hands viewing this movie would feel like an exercise in torture, but Pike’s performance will make it worth your time.
Earlier I mentioned Marla picking the wrong victim and this comes to a head when it’s revealed the rich old lady she’s targeted has a very dangerous “friend” named Roman Lunyov. Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, X-Men: Days of Future Past) plays Roman with chill, charisma, and just the right level of humour. He gives us a solid performance and possibly someone worth rooting for. But don’t go looking for heroes here though; this movie doesn’t have heroes, only slightly less terrible people. In other words, I Care a Lot has to be the most sarcastic titles for a movie like this ever.
If there’s a weak spot in this movie (at least for me it was) it’s in the moments where Marla shows love and actual humanity. This comes from her relationship with her girlfriend Fran, played by Eiza González (Baby Driver/Bloodshot). It’s hard to believe a woman such as Marla would have the ability to care about anyone but herself, so these moments felt out of place for me and messed with the overall tone of the film.
That said, the premise feels original, and the wickedly unapologetic dark humour found here might not be for everyone, but overall, I Care a Lot is a sharp, expertly directed movie that will keep your eyes glued squarely on the screen. It’s the kind of movie that reminds you monsters do exist in the real world and most times you’ll never see them coming, especially when they look as beautiful as Rosamund Pike.
Sommer’s Score: 6.5 out of 10
For more of my thoughts on I Care a Lot you can check out my video review below:
So what did you think of the film? For more Rosamund Pike you can check out Featured Writer Alice’s review of Marie Curie biopic Radioactive here. Or for more black humour you can check out Editor Jules’s review of The Intouchables here.
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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