Sometimes I have trouble watching things when I can’t figure out who the hero is meant to be. I Care a Lot was a real case of this. Having watched it and thought about it, it’s probably a bit more like a nature documentary. There are predators and prey. Sometimes predators prey on other predators and it gets ugly, but we probably don’t need to root for anyone in that conflict.

Rosamund Pike is very good. She has a very intense haircut and she plays a good bastard. She acts as a legal guardian for older people and runs a racket exploiting the laws around that. She is made to look slick and ruthless and I felt like we were supposed to be impressed, but her business is super unpleasant. Early on in the film we see her in court, where the son of one of her guardians is petitioning for visitation. We feel sorry for this man’s situation but then when his petition is denied, he gets very nasty and misogynistic. It’s all very grim. And that’s the tone for the film, people are bad to people and those people are bad back.

The film is a wild ride. The tone is a bit all over the place. Things just get mad goofy from about half way through the film. Then the ending feels like a double cop out. However, there is a great performance from Rosamund Pike and Chris Messina as the Mafia lawyer is a brilliant character. Ultimately that’s enough to make I Care a Lot worth watching.