I knew that crime/thriller I Care a Lot was about Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike), a despicable woman who takes pleasure in draining the savings of her vulnerable elderly clients. What I didn’t know is I’d end up detesting Marla quite as much as I did.

To say I was extra impatient to see her get her comeuppance feels like an understatement. Furthermore, I’m not sure if I’ve ever been more incensed by a character the way I was with Marla. OK, maybe Guy Pierce’s Charley Rakes in Lawless (2012) is even more despicable. I mean, I truly, deeply hated him. I digress. 

Written/directed by J. Blakeson, I Care a Lot is generally well-acted. However, there are parts of the story I didn’t fully buy. Specifically, occurrences that seemed to happen how they did, simply to serve the plot. Only, ironically, they ended up doing the movie a disservice because I didn’t believe them. Much of this takes place once Marla became more involved with Peter Dinklage’s character.

There are very few, if any, clear-cut ‘good people’ in this movie. This is a truth that made watching I Care a Lot more uncomfortable than anticipated. Maybe I wouldn’t have felt so slightly shortchanged had I been able to connect more with any character’s story, so I could identify with them on a less-than-surface level.

As for my favourite things about Blakeson’s film, Chris Messina is great as the Lawyer and I found Marla’s style delightfully noteworthy; as is her general badassery. There’s no doubt that her place in the list of tough female movie characters sporting blunt bobs has a corner in my mind. I only wish it had one in my heart too.

Watch I Care a Lot if you’re curious.

Happy Film Loving,

G

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