A black comedy thriller, Netflix movie “I Care a Lot” is written and directed by J Blakeson. Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Chris Messina, Macon Blair, Alicia Witt, and Damian Young lead in the picture and have Isiah Whitlock Jr. Dianne Wiest as supporting characters. After being involved with a dangerous gangster, the film follows the adventures of a con woman who makes a living as a court-appointed guardian, seizing the assets of vulnerable older people.
The film’s launch date had its global premiere on September 12, 2020, at the Toronto International Film Festival. Depending on the location, it was made available for streaming on February 19, 2021, either Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. The film got overwhelmingly excellent reviews from reviewers, and Pike was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for her role in the movie.
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“I Care a Lot” Cast
- Rosamund Pike as Marla Grayson
- Peter Dinklage as Roman Lunyov
- Eiza González as Fran
- Dianne Wiest as Jennifer Peterson
- Chris Messina as Dean Ericson
- Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Judge Lomax
- Macon Blair as Feldstrom
- Alicia Witt as Dr. Karen Amos
- Damian Young as Sam Rice
- Nicholas Logan as Alexi Ignatyev
Warning: There will be spoilers in the next sections.
A ruthless con artist acting as a legal guardian for the elderly (played by Pike), Marla Grayson (Pike) is the main character of the Netflix movie I Care a Lot. She exploits them to siphon off their wealth. The opening narration describes Marla’s perspective as extreme binaries, with people around her being either predators or prey and the idea of “goodness” as performative and inorganic, as she explains her actions throughout the storyline.
It is remarkable how effectively Marla can carry out her heinous activities, with the collaboration of doctors who wrongfully declare targets incapable of caring for their affairs, meticulously planned legal proceedings meant to deceive the justice system, and a state-of-the-art retirement home that profits from the entire cycle of crime. A man who was assisting in her exploits was her companion, Fran (González). He assists her by doing preliminary research before scoping out possible targets and works as an enforcer at every stage of the process.
What happens in I Care a Lot?
Marla Grayson is a con artist who earns a living by persuading the judicial system to award her guardianship over older people she believes cannot care for themselves on their own. She places them into a skilled nursing facility, where they are drugged and lose all connection with the outside world. She then proceeds to sell their property and assets, pocketing the proceeds. Mr. Feldstrom, a man who attempted to force his way into an assisted living home, is denied access to his mother by her and the court. Later, he threatens her outside the courts, stating that he hopes she will be murdered if she does not cooperate.
Dr. Karen Amos tells Marla about Jennifer Peterson, a rich retiree who does not seem to have a spouse or close family and who they may take advantage of. After she and Dr. Amos fraudulently testify that Jennifer suffers from dementia and confusion, a court names Marla as Jennifer’s legal guardian. Marla relocates Jennifer to assisted living and soon begins selling Jennifer’s possessions, including her furniture, vehicle, and house. Although Jennifer has given Marla the key to her possessions, she finds the key to a safe deposit box that contains a watch, gold bars, banknotes, and hidden jewels, all of which she steals and places somewhere safe.
Now, let me tell you, Jennifer Grayson kidnapped true story. As Fran, Marla’s girlfriend and business partner, works on the house’s renovations, a taxi driven by Alexi Ignatyev arrives and claims to come to pick up Jennifer, who was not there. Fran tells him that Jennifer has relocated to a new place. Alexi has returned to his boss, Roman Lunyov, in a state of severe sorrow. Jennifer’s son, Roman, a criminal boss, is revealed to be Jennifer’s son.
According to him, Alexi is threatened, and he is ordered to look into what happened to Jennifer. Dean Ericson, a Mafia lawyer, offers to give Marla $150,000 in cash in exchange for Jennifer’s release, but she declines, saying she would only do it for $5 million. He threatens Marla and accuses her of committing a crime. The court rejects the lawsuit because he is unable to prove that Jennifer hired him.
Fran finds that “Jennifer Peterson” is a fictitious name used to conceal the identity of a little girl who died of polio. When Jennifer refuses to reveal her true identity to Marla, Marla allies up with property manager Sam Rice, resulting in many of Jennifer’s basic needs being withdrawn. When Roman discovers that his mother’s secret deposit box has been raided, he sends three thugs to Jennifer to kidnap her. The men’s brutal attempt fails, and Marla assists the police in apprehending one of them, Alexi.
They discover that Alexi is the brother of two other mafia leaders who were allegedly killed in a fire, thanks to Fran’s police connections. After failing to save his mother, Roman orders Amos’s death at her business premises. When Marla and Fran learn of the news, they immediately relocate to one of the unsold homes of one of their former victims. Jennifer attacks Marla and moves her to a psychiatric ward.
Marla is kidnapped, and Fran is attacked at their house. To secure Jennifer’s release, Marla is brought before Roman, demanding $10 million in compensation. In response, he orders her to be unconscious with chloroform before driving her into a lake with his associates. She manages to escape and goes home to find Fran unconscious and beaten in the house, which has been filled with gas. When they barely avoid an explosion, they run to another unsold house, where Marla reveals to Fran diamonds that she has concealed in the property’s walls. Fran is presented with a choice: they may use the diamonds to start a new life somewhere else or use them to get revenge.
Marla and Fran track down and kidnap Roman, who is now in their custody. They drug Roman, set fire to his vehicle, and leave him to die on a wooded path. On the other hand, Roman is noticed by a jogger, who calls for an ambulance, which arrives and successfully revives him. Because a court cannot determine his identity, he is designated as a “John Doe,” and Marla is appointed legal guardian. Marla visits Roman and promises to release him and Jennifer from her guardianship for a ten-million-dollar settlement.
On the other hand, Roman promises her a share in a worldwide corporation founded on her con. With the help of his money and contacts, she agrees and swiftly rises to the position of powerful and highly rich CEO. In the meanwhile, Roman is reunited with Jennifer, and Marla marries Fran.
Feldstrom shoots Marla as she is leaving a television interview celebrating her achievements. Feldstrom, in grief, reveals that his mother died alone in an assisted living home because no one would allow him to visit her. Fran screams for help as Feldstrom is arrested, and Marla dies in Fran’s arms as Feldstrom is taken into custody.
What happens to Marla Grayson in I Care a Lot?
It looks as the film draws closer to its conclusion that Marla is being rewarded for her dishonest tactics, as she grows into a prominent public figure who portrays herself as someone who cares about others and empathizes with them. Comeuppance is served when Mr. Feldstrom, whose mother was kidnapped by Marla at the beginning of the film, shoots her in the head in a fit of grief-fueled rage at the end of the film.
Mr. Felstrom puts an end to Marla’s empire of greed with a single gunshot after learning that his mother died alone in the care facility, unable to contact her loved ones before passing away. He is then arrested and brought away from the scene by the police officers who arrived. Does Marla die in I care a lot? Since Marla hit near the heart and lost a significant quantity of blood; as a result, it is uncertain that she survived the shot and died in Fran’s arms.
However, although one might argue that Marla ultimately suffers the consequences of her heinous crimes, the conclusion is neither satisfactory nor cathartic to see, as it comes off as an uncaring, unfeeling world’s cheap shot at retribution. Martha dies with a glimmer of victory in her eyes and the declaration that she is “just getting started.” Even though the Netflix movie I Care a Lot closes with the deconstruction of Marla’s fantasies, the film always leaves important issues unanswered. Even if Marla is no longer alive, her firm is certain to continue operating since several participants in the game are eager to benefit from the misery of the elderly.
Will this horrible cycle ever come to an end? Is it possible that individuals like Mr. Feldstrom, who has been driven to their breaking point by sorrow and loss, will be compelled to commit crimes of passion as the last choice and will suffer long-term consequences? Was there any thought given to the many Marlas that remain inside the state-backed guardianship system, ready to pounce on any chance to gain millions from unsuspecting victims? Netflix movie I Care a Lot seems to be unconcerned with these issues. As a result, the film fails to provide the biting social criticism that satire is fundamentally necessary to provide in this context.