Directed by J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed; The 5th Wave) and starring Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl; Die Another Day; Jack Reacher; Radioactive; The Negotiator; Hector and the Search for Happiness), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones (TV Series); Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; Avengers: Infinity War; X-Men: Days of Future Past), Eiza González (Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw; Baby Driver; She's Missing) and Dianne Wiest (Bullets Over Broadway; Hannah and Her Sisters; The Birdcage; The Associate; Bullets Over Broadway; Law & Order (TV Series)).
Comedy thriller; 118 mins
Court-appointed guardian Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike) has a number of elderly clients; she exploits the system by unscrupulous means and fleeces her clients by selling their assets while they are confined in care homes, through dubious but legal means. When she is tipped off about Jennifer Peterson (Dianne Wiest), a wealthy retiree whom she has committed to care, Marla has met her match. Jennifer Peterson is not the old lady's real name or identity: in reality her son, Roman Lunyov (Peter Dinklage), is a gangster and gradually discovers to where his mother has disappeared and uncovers Marla's racket. Thus ensues a battle which runs both through the courts as well as with guns. A great twist at the end...
A wonderful caper that is perfect as an antidote to the continuing COVID-19 restrictions. One can sit back and enjoy the story unfolding on the big screen. While the normally extensive process around state guardianship is simplified to a single court hearing in the film, the context is novel and the characters are endearing. The characters are mostly one-dimensional but, as this is not a heavy drama, then we can overlook these drawbacks.
The plot unfolds at a constant pace with what seems to be an equal number of outdoor and indoor scenes. The two main protagonists, played by Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage, work very well off each other and ensure that the audience is entertained throughout.
I Care a Lot was screened at the Luxembourg City Film Festival 2021
