It’s a difficult needle to thread to play a not-so-morally upstanding person (who still operates within the law) who takes advantage of the elderly and has the audience utterly adore her. That exactly what occurs in the Netflix drama that will rock your world, I Care a Lot.
Pike is Marla Grayson, and she is an absolute expert at the world of guardianship (timely, if you have seen the stellar New York Times/Hulu doc Framing Britney Spears).
She gets a doctor (who is a friend) to say that (usually) a wealthy individual is incapable of taking care of themselves and therefore the state must step in and appoint a guardian (Grayson) to oversee their health, financial, and general overall life decisions. She’s got a booming business, a staff of dozens, and one particular partner (both professionally and personally) in Eiza Gonzalez’s searing Fran, who works behind the scenes ensuring everything always goes smoothly.
Unfortunately, Grayson has picked the wrong mark with Jennifer Peterson (Oscar winner Diane Wiest). She assumes that this wealthy widow is simply sitting on a fortune and living out her days without any family of any kind to aide her should she start to decline. Well, she’s not declining—even though that doc pal of Grayson says she’s starting to suffer from memory loss—says she is, and also, there is someone who cares about her well-being and will do anything to get her out of the facility she was placed in against her will. That is the city’s most notorious gangster, Roman Lunyov (Peter Dinklage). Has our savvy conservator expert met her match? Don’t count on it. Perhaps Grayson has only scratched the surface of what she can accomplish with her vast knowledge of the law, a team who works every angle to prevent any losses, and most importantly, her drive. It is insatiable and for us at home, and couldn’t be more entertaining and thrilling to witness.
The J Blakeson written and directed film pops with excitement around every turn. Know what else is behind every twist? Something that elevates the film even higher. For this cat and mouse, hustle or be hustled cinematic nirvana, as the clock ticks and our story progresses, look to be more and more engrossed in the goings-on in this world because you will never predict where it goes. The anticipation of any left or right turn is never there, and most importantly, it is the rare film that you just ride, baby!
The auteur has a command of the storytelling vehicle that is utterly demanding of your attention, from beginning through the credits. In fact, I don’t think I moved while the credits were rolling because I just got hit in the head with a dramatic (and slightly comedic) tour de force that is as intense as it is insightful into a world that clearly needs to be watched by someone with the power to do so.
Blakeson has also crafted three-dimensional characters throughout. We’re not just talking about our sensational leads. The screenwriter has even delivered fully developed supporting characters. Even bit parts—such as the greeting nurses behind reception desks at care facilities. It is astounding and what is so special about the entire I Care a Lot experience is that it is a devilish delight while simultaneously never forgetting that justice, karma, whatever you want to call it… has a habit of rearing its head at the most inopportune times. Thus, creating some dramatic turns that only heighten the intensity of all involved.
This film is a coup d’etat of cinema, in that it takes over your emotions, your physical presence and all elements of your existence for its entire runtime. Every performance elevates the next until a perfect storm of worlds collides in a fantastic finish that will leave you completely and mesmerizingly breathless.
Gonzalez is, at first, almost unrecognizable and that is on purpose. She loses herself in the role. The wickedly gifted beauty has gotten lost in roles before, but we always knew it was her, such as in Baby Driver. As Grayson’s right-hand woman and lover, she has her partner’s back in every conceivable situation and honestly, whatever the curve ball, she is ready for it—100 percent. The actress has had a nice run of late but look for I Care a Lot to open doors exponentially for this brilliant thespian.
Dinklage commands in a way that has men three times his muscular stature towering at his every command. That kind of set-up leads an audience member to know immediately that this is not a soul to be messed with, much less pass on a crosswalk. As he embodies Roman, this is the biggest gangster, perhaps, even in the country. When he acts, there are seismic shakes to accompany it.
He is truly someone to fear immensely and when he and Grayson and Fran’s paths are on a collision course, they don’t simply explode. No, it’s more of a Big Bang, where infinite possibilities ensue as to where, how and in what capacity will all involved find themselves when all the dust settles. The Game of Thrones actor may have turned in his most intense role yet—and yes, that is saying something. The way he merely saunters through any given day is enough to give even the most innocent of bystanders pause. If you actually have done something to this man, in any way, even stepped on his toes, your life will never, ever, be the same again.
Wiest, at first, may play her Jennifer as a happy-go-lucky older woman in her early 70s with a pricey house, an incredibly robust financial portfolio, who is living on her own without a relative in the world. She’s affable, but a tad guarded. When Grayson and her first meet, she’s confused, a bit rattled, and most of all, unwilling to go with these strangers to a facility where she had to give her up cell phone and basically kiss any link to her previous life goodbye, for at least 30 days. After that… well, it may get even more difficult to obtain freedom. Imagine being held against your will. It will make you crazy. Bingo. That’s what we were going for, right Grayson? Over time, look for Wiest to be as feisty as the entire entity that is, I Care a Lot. There is not a soft soul in the entire ensemble.
Pike, what can be said? She has steadily worked her craft in the past 10 years to the point where I Care a Lot should be an actress coronation for the UK thespian whose gifts seem to know no bounds and are growing at an astonishing rate. She does it all. From warming hearts in films such as Hector and the Search for Happiness to going full-on sociopath in Gone Girl, Pike is growing at a rate with each film she tackles, that witnessing where this international treasure rockets next will be one of the world’s great joys.
Grade: A+