I Care a Lot – A Complete Disregard to Morale

This past weekend’s release comes in the form of I Care a Lot, a film written & directed by J Blakeson that premiered both on Netflix & Amazon Prime, depending on the country of your residence. Curiously, both are labeled as an original of the streaming service you get to watch. I don’t know if that’s really a first, but for me, it’s the first time I see that.

I Care a Lot stars none other than your favorite actress for a sociopathic role, Rosamund Pike, as she embodies a businesswoman named Marla, who runs a mafia-like organization of care facilities that squeezes all the money possible out of old people & taking advantage of a flawed legal system. Her partner, romantically & in business, is played by Eiza González, who is as amoral, savvy & tough as Marla, but just not as blindingly stubborn.

The plot develops as you get to know how their operation works, and what motivates every single character in the film (and also to most people in real life): more money. Every piece of the organization is aware of the harm that’s being done to the elderly who are impotent against everything that comes at them, that somehow manages to be within a legal loophole, which not only imprisons them & runs them dry out of their money, but also keeps their relatives far and away from them.

Needless to say, this is one of those films in which you genuinely hate each character for who they are & their extremely unethical approach to life. This elder abuse is truly evil, but you can’t deny that it was clever diss to capitalism & the legal-loopholes that allow some bad practices in the real world. However, although Marla’s story isn’t based on a true story, the saddest thing out of this is that elder people do get trapped by predatory wards like Marla.

The plot thickens as Marla & Fran target what seems to be easy money: An old retired woman with plenty of money and no family. However, little they know they just legally ‘kidnapped’ the mother of a Russian gangster played by the always awesome Peter Dinklage, and with this, comes the most interesting part of the film: Act 2.

In it, the power plays from each side surface as they play a very dangerous game & you get to see how Marla finally has an opposition that could jeopardize her entire opperation. And well, even though the Russian Mafia depicted in the film is as horrible as her, you can’t help to root for them since your heart will be almost without a doubt with the poor elder people that have found themselves with Marla as their ward.

However, its 3rd act fell flat. It started depicting a fantasy in which Marla refuses to cede as she believes that her power, cleverness & capabilities will outmatch that of the Russian Mafia. I won’t spoil it, and only say this: It has been one of the most unbelievable portrayals of a mafia in movie history. What happens in the 3rd act felt like another film in itself. The good thing is that the plot ultimately corrected itself as the film’s climax approached in a satisfying manner.

The story is way too contrived, as with many other films of the bunch, but still manages to be entertaining. Mainly thanks to its interesting, but hateful premise, and its cast. Peter & Eiza were great, but the show is entirely of Rosamund Pike. She is a boss & can play sociopaths like few others can. She demands the camera’s attention, and we are all thankful that the camera gives her the attention.

In the end, this features a battle between assholes that takes an interesting turn as greed, stubbornness & pride run each of the character’s intentions, but ultimately makes you feel conflicted as to what you have seen. The last minutes solve most of the affliction, but it’s ultimately not enough to make this a memorable film, save for Rosamund Pike’s performance.

Score: 6.5/10

Liked our review? Check out other recent films we have reviewed like Malcolm & Marie by clicking here.