I Care A Lot

“Gatekeep, Gaslight, Girlboss” needs to be retired from the lexicon of women who only semi-ironically identify with the phrase. Not because of any of the broader issues surrounding the phrase. Not even because of simple over saturation. No, Gatekeep, Gaslight, Girlboss must be retired because it turns out, that phrase is about I Care A Lot’s lead character, Marla Grayson exclusively. In classic GGG style, I’m gatekeeping anyone else using that phrase. Unless you’re getting rich off of elder abuse, you’re not a true Gatekeeping, Gaslighting Girlboss.

I Care A Lot shines light on the issue of conservatorship abuse. Marla Grayson has created a business of taking on legal guardianship of elderly clients. While acting as guardian, Marla funnels their funds into her own bank account while isolating them from people who genuinely care. Marla sets her sights on Jennifer Peterson, a seemingly perfect victim. Peterson has money but no close family members. So, Marla and her crime and life partner, Fran go about taking Jennifer from her home and placing her into a restrictive care home. In Jennifer’s safety deposit box, Marla finds millions’ worth of uninsured diamonds. Turns out, there’s more to Jennifer than meets the eye. Marla’s sting on Jennifer brings her to the attention of some very powerful criminals lead by the terrifying Roman Lunyov who wants to know what has happened to his mother.

I Care a Lot is listed as a comedy. If it is one, it’s pitch black. But while it’s not laugh out loud funny, director J Blakeson found a way to draw attention to the issue of conservatorship abuse that’s hard to look away from instead of being hard to watch. Focusing on the villain rather than the victim is foremost. We don’t focus on the elderly people in care. Instead, we follow Marla as she ruins lives but lives a very successful one of her own. And then, the secret ingredient to bring it over the top is the addition of even more crime! In some sort of two negatives make a positive deal, the addition of the Russian mob makes the film lighter than it otherwise would be. It’s deeply pleasing to see Marla attract the attention of bigger sharks and suffer entirely due to her own arrogance.

What also really helps the movie is really solid performances. The film is well cast and Blakeson draws great performances from the cast. Rosamund Pike’s performance as Marla is as an immovable force of nasty, heartless ambition. There are similarities between Marla and Pike’s role in Gone Girl. But Pike goes beyond what she did in Gone Girl to make a unique, nasty and ambitious woman. While Pike anchors the film, the supporting cast of Dianne Wiest and Peter Dinklage give her a run for her money with showier performances. I’m totally here for the recent Dianne Wiest renaissance. She’s amazing and the fact that she ever encountered a career slump is absurd. And Peter Dinklage as always, makes an absolute meal of every scene he’s in. The cast overall is clearly having a lot of fun playing truly terrible people. That makes their performances all the more watchable.

The weak spot in the cast is Eiza González as Fran. Though that’s due more to character than performance. Fran is very much a love interest character with minimal depth. She supports Marla and her crimes and that’s all we really know about her. But her character does give Marla at least, a chance for some depth. There is real tenderness and affection between the women. Far from representations where a character’s flaws are tied into their sexuality, this is the opposite. Marla’s love for Fran is pretty much her only redeeming quality. And even then, it’s not great. For people who watch WLW movies for role models, please do not aspire to this relationship or these characters. Yes, they’re rich, beautiful and in love, but they’re also absolute dicks.

The absolute dickishness is really what sets I Care a Lot apart. We’re very much in a time of deeply sanitized mainstream depictions of queer people. After ages of playing villains, and problematic stereotypes, the pendulum has now swung the other way. Now, there’s often a reluctance to depict queer relationships as anything other than healthy and committed. And queer characters overall don’t get to be villains anymore. In such an age, I really loved how truly awful Marla and Fran were. There’s a lot of talk about how everyone, especially queer people are valid. Marla and Fran are not valid. Not because of their sexuality but because their relationship is based on elderly abuse. Female villains and specifically queer female villains of this type are deeply rare. I’m glad I Care a Lot is here offering representation for deeply evil, not valid queer villains.

Overall, I Care a Lot was more fun than a movie about conversatorship has any right to be. While it lacks in overt jokes, it has energy, style and excitement to keep this topic interesting and watchable. I Care a Lot is a nasty little movie with a deeply unsympathetic lead that I could not tear my eyes away from. I’m here for a queer, female villain of this calibre.

Overall rating: 8/10

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