I Care a Lot – Movie Reviews by Ry!

I Care A Lot – Medicine of Favors: Legally … I Oblige

You have a picture.  In this picture is a fixture of meaningful truth.  For the passerby, it is a complexion worth believing, but others, there is something more behind the frame.  In this latest review, I look at a Netflix original that provides a journey into the mirrors of truth.  Through the infusion of genres, this film provides a slick interpretation of what it means to be a lioness.   Even when convenient elements abound, I Care a Lot is a dark comedy that sheds the faults in the pursuit of … happiness. 

An ambitious lawyer, Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike), looks at every opportunity to the top.  Taking a chance at every turn, she comes across a challenge that might cost her everything.  This is a story that plays upon the motif of the dramatic, building its core foundation through the main character, Marlon Grayson.  In the beginning, we are introduced to this skilled lawyer and how she works the system of legal guardianship in her favor.  Through generalization and heavy exposition, the first act provides what, why and how Grayson uses her cunning personality to weave the courts and medical professionals to prey upon the elderly.  It is a skewed complexion of the legal system, but it provides ambivalent situations through a dark but comedic lens.  This unexpectedness through comedy provides a unique realism to the obscure drama.  Grayson is a strong, persevering individual that sees every situation as attainable.  The level of calculation in her drive creates a character that is astute of the facts, always having some kind of backup plan.  Riding high on her success (second act), this leads to her ‘supposedly’ finding the perfection situation.  As she sets everything in motion, this causes a domino effect that brings in the familiar ‘too good to be true’ trope.  This leads to a confrontation of sinister elements through the introduction of Roman Lunyov (Peter Dinklage).

As Lunyov enters the picture, it creates a unique high stakes game of chess.  He desires to get a certain individual out of a nursing home, but Grayson thwarts him through the cunning use of the legal system.  The back and forth highlights the fractured nature of personal and societal ambition, showcasing vendettas and pride can cause collateral damage.  Through every obstacle, Grayson seems to always find a way forward.  As things continue to rise in the fight, it creates frenetic moments of dark comedic situations.  This helps course the tension into the folly of individual tactics.  Things that might be leading to predictable outcomes become red herrings for something unexpected.  This twisting of storytelling helps create an edge of your seat thriller.  Once in the third act, everything is pushed to the ultimate ‘checkmate’ for both characters, leading to a climax that is a unique winning formula to the lioness mentality.  I Care a Lot is a story that infuses many genres to create an unexpected thriller.  Even when things are forced fed, there are elements that will thrill you to the end. If you’re a fan of dark comedies or thrillers, this is one for you.  It is available on Netflix, but it would be a fun time at the Theaters. 

Full Score – 3.5 out of 5 (Matinee)