I Care a Lot (2021)

Movie · 2021 · Crime, Thriller, Drama, Comedy · 1h 59m · R · English

Curator score: 3.1/10 (557.6K ratings)

Overview

A court-appointed legal guardian defrauds her older clients and traps them under her care. But her latest mark comes with some unexpected baggage.

Ratings

Director

J Blakeson

Production

STXfilms, Black Bear Pictures, Crimple Beck

Cast

Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Dianne Wiest, Chris Messina, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Macon Blair, Alicia Witt, Damian Young, Nicholas Logan, Liz Eng, Celeste Oliva, Georgia Lyman, Moira Driscoll, Gary Tanguay, Lizzie Short, Kevin McCormick, Michael Malvesti, Chris Everett, Danny Schoch

Where to watch

Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads

Curator Review

Verdict

A slick, nasty satire with a strong central performance and a sharp premise, but its tonal whiplash and increasingly implausible plotting blunt the bite. It works best as a glossy antihero crime comedy with a mean streak, less well as a satisfying thriller or social critique.

Best for

  • Viewers who enjoy amoral antiheroes
  • Fans of glossy crime capers with dark comedy
  • Audiences looking for a strong star turn
  • People who like satire about greed, power, and exploitation

Skip if

  • You want a morally grounded protagonist
  • You need airtight plotting
  • You dislike tonal shifts between satire and thriller
  • You’re sensitive to stories about elder abuse

Overview

I Care a Lot is built around a deliciously ruthless performance and a premise that immediately tells you the movie wants to needle your sense of justice. It has the polished sheen of a prestige crime thriller, but the real engine is its contempt for every form of predation on display, from legal loopholes to organized crime to corporate-style self-justification.

Worth noting

The film’s biggest asset is how confidently it commits to its central monster. That makes it entertaining even when you’re recoiling from what she does. But the script keeps reaching for bigger twists and broader satire, and the result is a movie that is often sharper in concept than in execution.

Bottom line

If you’re in the mood for something glossy, mean, and morally radioactive, it’s an easy watch. If you want the satire to land with real depth or the thriller mechanics to feel fully earned, it may leave you admiring the audacity more than the payoff.

Top Letterboxd reviews

Rendy Jones (3.5★) · 12100 likes

Now there’s another rich white blonde gay female supervillain apart from Ellen.

Emily🌴 · 6947 likes

ladies when we said "be gay, do crime" we didn't mean elder abuse

Morgan (3.5★) · 4009 likes

“Do you think Marla Grayson had girl power?” “Yes, of course.” ”Do you think she effectively utilized girl power by taking advantage of and stealing from the elderly?” Edit: Letterboxd banned my review for “lack of content.” I thought my review spoke for itself, but my opinion apparently must be explicitly stated. As shown by my score and my already written and valid review, I appreciate this film as a satire. The term “girlboss” is thrown around a lot when… more

molly (4.5★) · 3804 likes

if i had a nickel for every time rosamund pike played a feminist psychopath i’d have 2 nickels which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it’s happened twice

clem (3★) · 2729 likes

when bitches get a lil bob

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Topics

dark comedy, crime thriller, satire, antihero, greed, legal system, power dynamics, female-led, morally ambiguous, 2010s

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