Director; J. Blakeson. Starring; Rosamunbd Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza Gonzalez. Rated R. Color. 118 Minutes.
Who would have figured a movie based on a woman taking advantage of old aged individuals for money would be, dare I say, utterly hilarious as well as entertaining. “I Care a Lot” is a mask of a picture with dark undertones concerning how the elderly can easily be brushed underneath the rug. It is also, and let’s face it honestly, a perfect satire on how intricate a cash grab it can be when attempting to make that dough. Father time has never lost. “I Care a Lot” is the story of characters brilliantly messing with the system like they’re playing chess.
Rosamund Pike plays Marla Grayson, a diabolical piece of work in the realm of human beings. Marla is in the business of finding vulnerable old people and convincing a judge that the individual can no longer take care of themselves. Why? So that she can swoop in and take control of all of that person’s assets to sell for profit. This is conniving of the highest order.
She is not alone as she works with her partner in crime both business wise as well as in the bedroom Fran (Eiza Gonzalez). Fran helps in finding the easiest victims for the court empowered legal guardian Marla to find the next victim. Unfortunately for the duo, they target and mess with the wrong old lady.
Jennifer Peterson (Diane Weist) seems like your typical old lady with dementia. From the first meeting the woman does not seem all there. She actually is, and she is hiding a part of a big criminal organization. An organization led by her son Roman (Peter Dinklage). Marla throws Ms. Peterson into a court ordered retirement home and goes to work in consolidating the old woman’s possessions. When Roman finds out that his mother has essentially been imprisoned then the war is on. A war that is centered around Marla discovering millions of dollars worth of undocumented diamonds while going through Ms. Peterson’s bank safety deposit box. Real gangsters going against legalized gangsters typically does not end well.
“I Care a Lot” features one of my favorite despicable characters that I have seen in years. Rosamund Pike is an absolute boss lady in this picture. What she and her constituents do is no doubt deplorable, but I gotta say I have some respect for it. Weist, Dinklage, Gonzalez and the rest of the cast do an excellent job of taking a satyrical concept completely seriously. Composer Marc Canham also deserves credit for a fresh mix of hot tunes that come in at exactly the right time. But the biggest key to this film succeeding is the screenplay written by director J. Blakeson. The dialogue comes at you fast and furious and the twists never cease to keep you wanting more. “I Care a Lot” is the story of deplorable people, and it feels so good to have fun with the bad guys/gals.
Greg Squared Films 