I Care A Lot
I CARE A LOT (2020)
I have my ethos of finding a positive to discuss in a film and by golly I wanna stick to it. And during this pandemic it’s not like I’m short of challenges. So I’ll begin with... They had me at Diane Wiest. Big fan of this double Oscar winner since childhood; perennial favourites being Edward Scissorhands and Parenthood. She plays the stooge who unravels the con. And I wish she was in it more.
Supreme con artist Marla Grayson operates a business where she manipulates the courts into becoming the guardian of a lonely rich pensioner and ransacking everything they own. And it’s genuinely alarming. That is, until she picks the mark with unexpected connections to the criminal underworld. The tone is enjoyably early 1990’s. Think Malice or Single White Female.
Rosamund Pike cracks the whip as our insidious lead, and as Marla, explains in her opening monologue how in a world of lions and lambs she’s “a fucking lioness”. Forget that; this predator is a Great White. Her coal eyes fill with glee when she smells an easy kill.
I tend to avoid horror films because I rarely believe the choices made by the characters, and often scenarios become too convenient for the killer. And though one could argue that I Care A Lot doesn’t belong in that genre, I find Marla’s set-up the stuff of nightmares. The speed in which she can legally destroy her victim’s life is indeed terrifying.
The best scenes are between Pike and Wiest. The peacock and the teddy bear. One tells you they’re the boss and the other shows you. It’s dynamite. When Wiest chuckles “You’re in trouble now” I applauded in awe. Only an assured stalwart can deliver that loaded line with such gentle menace. And Pike is outstanding. In a superior film her character would be iconic.
Alas, as with most horror films things take a turn for the absurd when Marla exhibits superhuman abilities as she takes on Peter Dinklage’s gangster. Situations become very opportune allowing her to get away with far too much and the tone shifts from an authentic fear inducing thriller to a campy romp. But who doesn’t love camp?
Forget Faye Dunaway and her wire hangers in Mommie Dearest wait til you see Rosamund Pike, with her Darth Vader helmet bob, tear a tooth from her jaw and scream into the wilderness a lot like a newly formed Lord Vader himself.
A film of two halves; a genuinely threatening premise that will make you fear for your older relatives. A vision of truly despicable people. You will feel frightened, sickened and emboldened. The second act must be watched with tongue firmly lodged in cheek. Lean into the ludicrous and there’s fun to be had.
Watch this with a generous pinch of salt and an even more generous supply of wine and have fun with this ostentatious thriller.
5 Outrageous Thumbs Up!
