'I Care A Lot' Makes You Somehow Care About Questionable Characters
Starring Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eliza González, Dianne Wiest, Chris Messina, Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Rated R
Comedy, thriller
Run time: 1 hr, 58 min
Directed and written by J Blakeson
On Netflix February 19, 2021
For some reason, every time I read the title of this movie in a headline, I was reminded of the earlier Melissa McCarthy movie, Can You Ever Forgive Me? Well, it turns out, my brain was making some solid leaps without me ever even realizing it. I started watching I Care a Lot when all I knew about it was that Rosamund Pike was already getting award buzz and that Peter Dinklage was also in it. And despite this next sentence being completely opposed to me even writing this review in the first place, I’m so glad I went in blind. But quickly, I realized I was in the exact same position as I was when watching McCarthy’s movie: I found myself weirdly rooting for some rather unlikable people.
I normally try to give a solid overview of a plot without spoilers, but I may keep this one a little bit vague, just so hopefully others can be as surprised by the turns of the plot as I was. Pike plays Marla, a woman who has seemingly perfected the art of being a legal guardian. Or at least, for her own benefit. And the insane combination of professionals who she has also roped in to gain something from her guardianship. The web gets more and more twisted as secrets come out and it’s obvious that one of the older women that Marla tried to gain control over has a lot more in store than she realized.
I Care A Lot is a really solid dark comedy that manages to not look like it tries too hard. The style and pacing is incredibly consistent, and as someone who is constantly wondering how much time is left in a movie and trying not to look at my watch, I was thrilled to realize it took me a solid 90 minutes to be curious where we were in the plot line. Pike has the same incredible charisma and scene stealing ability as she did in Gone Girl, proving that she can have that multifaceted personality in all her roles, not just the super obviously crazy ones. I am still working my way through the list of award contenders, but I’m already saying she has to be a favorite for best actress.
However, I’d be doing this film a disservice if I didn’t acknowledge the supporting cast. Pike may be the standout, which is unsurprising, but she is far from having to hold it up all on her own. Her chemistry with González’s Fran, her partner in many ways, is realistic but understated, the exact way you’d expect a longstanding relationship to look and feel. Peter Dinklage is underused, in my opinion, but he manages to blend into the landscape of this movie enough to where you aren’t just going, “Why does Tyrion Lannister have a man bun?” This may be one of the few award season films I actually want to watch again, whether to just appreciate the writing of the script or to note Pike and González’s phenomenal outfits throughout the movie. It manages to perfectly walk that line between award material and crowd pleaser while still being under two hours. And that is enough for me to want it to at least earn some nominations.