I Care a Lot | Film Review

I heard a lot about this film before I saw it, in terms of people's opinions. There have been quite a lot of negative reviews, but the people who love it really love it. So of course, I had to watch it so I could see which side of the debate I stood on.

Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike) is a corrupt legal guardian who makes a living from scamming the elderly. However, one of her scams goes dangerously wrong when she discovers that the elderly woman she's scamming isn't who anyone thought she was.   

I loved this film! It was nothing I expected, and completely exceeded my expectations.

For a start, this is such an interesting story, and it comes from an original point of view. How often do we see films about corruption from the point of view of the corrupt?

There are really interesting dynamics between these characters. They all play off of each other really well. This isn't a one-person film, and everyone's character is informed by the actions of someone else.

The events of the film are really gripping. I found that there were times when I didn't want to look away from the screen, just so that I didn't miss anything. There's a new twist every 5 minutes and you have no idea what's going to happen next. I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of the time.

One of the criticisms I've seen of the film is that it is not relatable because these characters are not good people, and honestly that makes me roll my eyes. A film doesn't have to have likeable characters to be interesting, especially when they're not supposed to be likeable. I loved that the characters in this film were so morally grey. It made them interesting and complex. I didn't particularly 'like' any of the characters as people, but I loved what they brought to the film.

I found that, while the film may not feel realistic at all, because so much about it was far-fetched and comical at times, I really believed these characters. And while that could be down to the writing, it is mostly down to the actors who portrayed their characters so well. As well as Rosamund Pike, the film stars Peter Dinklage, Eiza Gonzalez, Chris Messina and Diane Wiest, and they were all amazing in their roles.

Having said that, I found that the initial premise of the film changed as time went on, and more is discovered. The film suddenly became about something different, and these changes started to make the film deviate from what made it so good. When we deviated from the initial goals of these characters, we lost an essential piece of who they were.

However, for me this was somewhat rectified by a really good ending. I didn't quite know how a story like this would be wrapped up, and I knew it wouldn't be neat and tidy, so I'm happy with how it ended.

Overall, I am firmly in the 'pro' camp for this film. I thought it was great, I definitely recommend it, and I can't wait to watch it again.

7.5/10