SCREEN | Rosamund Pike Steals 'I Care A Lot'

"Me? I'm just someone who cares."

STX Films / Black Bear Pictures

Rosamund Pike is absolutely savage as a swindling "legal guardian" for defenseless wealthy senior citizens in British writer/director J Blakeson's sleek dark comedy noir about hustlers and elder abuse, I Care A Lot. Pike's Marla is a ruthless conservator embodying the essence of our current state of widespread scammer culture.

Pike is sensational with an icy flair complementing her perfect blonde bob haircut. She can certainly vape like nobody else. Her characterization of ruthlessness is impressive and wholly American. A sizzling Eiza González as Marla's right-hand woman and lover Fran make the ruthless pair more than fun to follow along their unsavoury actions.

Dianne Wiest as their target fleshes out the complexities of the entire scam. Enter a diabolical Peter Dinklage as a gangster whom Marla inadvertently crosses and Chris Messina as his extra smarmy lawyer and we have a stand-off worth watching. There aren't many good guys here and Blakeson's delights in making the bad guys look good.



Blakeson crafts the cynical film into a sharp commentary on corrupt public institutions used to take advantage of the vulnerable they are designed to protect. Its vicious depiction of conservatorship with little details makes the little twists and turns all the more scintillating.

Blakeson's witty endeavour is as delicious as it is biting. Its topical subject of con artists and legal guardianship makes for an entirely engrossing cinematic affair. I Care A Lot revels in its unapologetically irredeemable characters with a confident style and verve not often seen on screen. I'll say this, I definitely wouldn't want to cross any character played by Pike.

I Care A Lot is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video in Canada (and on Netflix in the U.S.).


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