However, everything works out for Marla until she becomes the legal guardian and caretaker of Jennifer Peterson (played with conviction by  Diane Wiest), a senior citizen who lives alone and seems like easy prey. Unfortunately for Marla, Jennifer’s son (Peter Dinklage) happens to be a secretive and dangerous crime boss who wants his mother out of Marla’s clutches.       

“I Care a Lot,” the movie’s name,

but one caregiver has no shame.

Client’s money she gladly steals.

With her property she makes deals.

Rosamund Pike plays sharp villain,

a role she seems so comfy in.

And Peter Dinklage with her vies

as a bad guy awash in lies. 

Plot works well during half the show.

Then goes awry. Why? I don’t know.

  But violence becomes too much

and film loses its comic touch.

Pike and Dinklage (The Game of Thrones/The Station Agent) make a deadly duo in this cynical movie directed by J Blakeson (The Fifth Wave)  Their one-upmanship situations come across as humorous at times but soon turn into horrific interactions that don’t seem to fit. Still, it’s fun to watch these two terrific actors square off together as their characters try to outsmart each other.

I Care a Lot also reminds us to be careful about the guardians and caretakers we choose either for ourselves or for our loved ones. 

If being a liar and a swindler help you sleep at night, then be prepared to be wide awake tangled in your world of deceit. --- Mike Young

(Released by Netflix and rated “R” by MPAA.)