A con artist who swindles the elderly out of their life savings has her life turned inside out when her latest mark has Russian mob connections.
COMEDY/CRIME
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I Care a Lot (2021)Written and Directed by J Blakeson
Starring Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Dianne Wiest, Chris Messina, Macon Blair, Isiah Whitlock Jr. |
I Care a Lot is a Netflix original that I first learned about earlier today. I was intrigued because I'm a big fan of Rosamund Pike and I love seeing Peter Dinklage play a villain. I'd like to preface this review by saying I don't believe the film is a comedy, and I think if it had ventured further into dramatic territory, it could've been something special. Still, I did enjoy the movie as I found it original and engaging. I didn't like our heroine, or at least how the film tried to force you to root for Pike's character Marla Grayson, one of the most detestable human beings in recent film.
Marla Grayson (Pike) is a con artist who preys on the elderly. She runs a caregiver company where she has a doctor find elderly citizens with medical issues. Marla becomes their caregiver by law, puts the old person in a home, absorbs control of their estate, and liquidates their assets (house, car, furniture, etc.). All of this is done with a smile and a wink, like Marla is exercising some sort of "girl power" by doing this and not letting men stop her. The fact that she's a woman doesn't make her actions okay. I found myself rooting for Peter Dinklage's psychotic gangster, who wants Marla dead after she takes advantage of Dinklage's mother. This doesn't disparage Pike's performance, which was great, but I despised the character and found her impossible to root for. I Care a Lot is a decent flick, but not really a comedy. The story is enjoyable, and it is entertaining to see Marla get hers along the way. I think it could've had a better ending, but the final few minutes make up for it. Overall, a solid effort and one of the better Netflix originals I've seen. |