There is one movie of 2021 that already has a Golden Globe nominated lead actress, a critically acclaimed status from critics, and praise from audiences around the globe, and also happens to be a Netflix original film. I know Netflix has not had the strongest track record when it comes to creating their own content, especially considering the range of reactions from their 2020 releases. There was the universally hated, culturally insensitive garbage fire, for example, Emily in Paris vs. the multi-time Oscar nominated, Trial of the Chicago Seven, so it was a pleasant surprise when I Care A lot, released in February, was received fairly well across the board.
I Care A lot stars British actress Rosamund Pike, well-known for her psychopathic feature as Amy Dunne in the 2014 thriller Gone Girl. The movie centers around a court-appointed guardian of the elderly, Marla Grayson, who scams the legal system into putting rich seniors under her care who don’t actually need it. She then forces her victims into assisted living facilities and takes hold of their remaining assets to sell off and profit from herself. This plot would be interesting enough with a high-powered, lesbian, anti-hero as its lead, but the story only gets more interesting from there.
Marla bites off more than she can chew when she tries to pull her usual scam on Jennifer Peterson, played by Oscar award-winning Dianne Wiest, an unassuming single woman who we discover has a dark secret that comes back to haunt Marla. Connected to the Russian Mafia, Mrs. Peterson’s connections turn on Marla when they discover she took priceless diamonds found in Mrs. Peterson’s safe deposit box. However, as Marla Grayson proves time and time again throughout this psychologically manipulative thrill-ride, she does not, and cannot lose.
If you are a fan of a good old fashioned, female-manipulator movie, I Care A lot is the film for you. With humor, feminist badassery, and a criminal cast of characters, this movie has been my favorite release of this year. Rosamund Pike will make anyone’s heart skip a beat with her sharp blonde bob, a triage of perfectly tailored primary color pantsuits, accompanied by the Marla signature, a vape pen that she hits in almost every scene. So if you are ever in the mood for scamming old people and hating men, look to Netflix for the only movie of 2021 that I have re-watched multiple times over.