Netflix's “I Care A Lot” Isn’t The Movie It Thinks It Is

Netflix's new movie, I Care a Lot, has gained a lot of popularity since its release and even made Netflix's top 10 list.  And Rosamund Pike won a Golden Globe for her wonderful performance in the movie. 

In the film, Pike's character, Marla Grayson, "bribes medical professionals to declare older people legally unfit to look after themselves and then fools gullible judges into appointing her as their legal guardian. Once she becomes their guardian, she places them in nursing homes, often against their will, and immediately sets about liquidating their assets to pay herself." 

The court room scenes are very dramatic and compelling as they show that Marla is allowed to do these things she is doing and receives undying support from the courts and the police. She is even being thanked and assisted with her work. 

One of Marla's "victims" ends up being connected to the Russian mafia, which turns out to be a problem for Marla. Marla eventually has to take on the Russian mafia, which turns out to be very dramatic. This conflict is emotional as you find yourself rooting for criminals. 

Apparently, the idea of the film came from news reports of predatory guardians. 

As it turns out, given all of the abrupt changes and different levels in the movie, the movie may not really be about what the movie thinks it's about. 

See Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Netflix's “I Care A Lot” Isn’t The Movie It Thinks It Is, Buzz Feed News, February 26, 2021. 

Special thanks to Naomi Cahn (Harold H. Greene Professor of Law, George Washington University School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.