I Care A Lot Review: Rosamund Pike Is Electric In This Deliciously Dark Comedic Thriller
- naterichard98
- Mar 4, 2021
- 2 min read
DIRECTED BY: J BLAKESON STARRING: ROSAMUND PIKE, PETER DINKLAGE, & DIANNE WEST
RATED R FOR LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT AND SOME VIOLENCE
LENGTH: 118 MINUTES
After an absolutely killer performance as Amy Dunne in Gone Girl, it begs the question why hasn't Rosamund Pike become a household name yet? It's not like she hasn't starred in anything since her Oscar-nominated work in the 2014 psychological thriller. She's had a number of juicy roles since including playing acclaimed journalist Marie Colvin in the 2018 film A Private War. Yet she still hasn't had a performance that has gathered the same amount of attention as her iconic work in Gone Girl. That is until now, in J Blakeson's dark comedic thriller I Care A Lot, Pike gives a performance that just has to be seen to be believed.
I Care A Lot follows professional court-appointed guardian Marla Grayson (Pike), a woman whose calm demeanor in the courtroom transforms into some more monstrous in her business practices. Grayson has a knack for draining the assets of her elderly clients and sending them to a crooked nursing home where they'll be heavily medicated. When Marla along with her business partner and lover Fran (Eiza Gonzalez) find themselves a new prospect, Jennifer Peterson (Dianne West), a seemingly wealthy retiree with no family, they soon find themselves entangled into the trenches of the Russian mafia.
Pike absolutely shines as Marla Grayson in what is easily her best performance since Gone Girl, she plays the charismatic she-devil with such ease and it's clear that she's committing to playing this character that audiences will love to hate. It's hard to imagine this film working as well as it does without Pike's dynamite performance. The supporting cast around Pike is strong as well, Peter Dinklage, along with West and Gonzalez help fill out an ensemble that best accompanies Pike's performance. Chris Messina and Macon Blair also leave an impression in their small roles.
Blakeson's direction is hyper-stylized to say the least, it sometimes even gets to a point where it feels like style-over-substance. Blakeson's direction feels as if it's an amalgamation of the sensibilities of Edgar Wright, Guy Ritchie, and Danny Boyle. Sometimes Blakeson's direction excels in creating this break-neck atmosphere while other times it may feel a bit jarring. Doug Emmett's cinematography is excellent as well and along with Marc Canham's score, compliments the film's aesthetic quite nicely.
The subject matter at play in I Care A Lot, is certainly a sensitive topic; one where a filmmaker should tread lightly when covering it. In this case, the film definitely feels tonally all over the place jumping between comical and full-on thriller. While the film starts off with a quick pace, it slowly starts to lose some of it's momentum as it moves along, but not to the point where it stops being entertaining.
I Care A Lot is not a movie for everyone especially considering it's subject matter, but those who have a taste for comedic thrillers may wind up enjoying themselves with this. From Pike's stellar performance and it's pleasing visual sensibilities, this is one that is certainly worth the stream.
3.5/5 Stars
I Care A Lot is now streaming on Netflix.
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