Film: Rosamund Pike leads the nicely nasty I Care A Lot

Black comedy thriller

I Care A Lot (15)
Running time 1hr 58mins
Rating: ****

Rosamund Pike is a delight as the legal guardian who swindles the elderly out of their money. I Care A Lot is available on Amazon Prime

Review by CAMERON BLACKSHAW

I CARE a Lot opens with a cynical voiceover from an Americanised Rosamund Pike. Straightaway it’s hard to not be reminded of her barnstorming role in 2014’s Gone Girl. As well as this fact, the films share other multiple similarities. Their sardonic subtexts about modern America, complete lack of sympathetic characters and pumping synth soundtracks also contribute to the potential comparison. I Care a Lot takes a more lighthearted and comedic approach to its material, and even though the jokes will rarely have you laughing, the film is still a fresh and energetic approach to the oft-seen American criminal narrative.

Pike stars as Marla Grayson, a con-woman who makes her living taking advantage of the elderly by convincing the court to appoint her as their legal guardian. She then gets them confined to a prison-like care home before selling off their assets for her own gain. It’s a malevolent scheme she has disguised as a legitimate business and has streamlined into a successful
criminal enterprise. She has doctors and care home directors in her pockets, and is easily able to hoodwink the judge with her well-meaning demeanour in court.

It’s a seemingly foolproof system that becomes tested once Marla exploits Jennifer Peterson (Dianne Wiest), a single retiree with no family to speak of. Appearing to be going swimmingly, everything changes once Marla discovers Jennifer was in possession of millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds and actually has connections to Roman Lunyov (Peter Dinklage), a ruthless Russian mobster who does all in his power to get Jennifer released and take his bloody revenge.

Rosamund Pike is a delight in the leading role and brings the feminine confidence to Marla that she has become known for. Even though Marla is quite the piece of work, Pike brings a sort of electric energy that makes you simultaneously root for her success and downfall, continuing to prove her acting talent is often overlooked. The cast do well around her too, bringing just enough colour to flesh out the rest of the characters.

The black comedy thriller unfolds as Marla and Roman try to outsmart each other, often with violent consequences. The film rarely attempts to pull off any out-and-out gags, which certainly works in its favour. The odd humorous moment doesn’t even deserve a snigger, but it luckily doesn’t detract from the story. It’s the film’s businesslike treatment of American crime that has the last laugh.

Roman and Marla both nonchalantly treat their victims as premium products churned out by their corporations. Crime is legitimised through a white-collar façade. It doesn’t take much to think about what I Care a Lot really means. It manages to stay fun enough with its colourful palette and pumping synth soundtrack to not murk too much in world-weary pessimism.
I Care a Lot delivers a subtly dark and spirited modern crime caper that deserves to be appreciated for more than just its leading performance.