USA Today

On one hand, the core conceit – about elderly people suffering thanks to crooks and legal loopholes – is upsetting and infuriating on the surface. But Blakeson puts such a colorful, over-the-top sheen on it, plus lets Pike and Dinklage loose on each other, that you can’t help but be entertained by the criminal carnage and extreme shenanigans.

A review by Brian Truitt for USA Today on 2021-02-19

Chicago Sun-Times

A vicious and cheerfully twisted psychological thriller dripping in deception and dread, bathed in pop-art colors and infused with a wickedly dark sense of humor.

A review by Richard Roeper for Chicago Sun-Times on 2021-02-19

Consequence

While I Care a Lot has a lot to say about capitalism, feminism, and the current political landscape, it’s also a thrilling dark comedy. The pacing is occasionally slow and some plot points admittedly defy logic, but the film effectively channels the collective rage many of us feel after a year of watching systems catastrophically fail those most in need of their protection.

A review by Jenn Adams for Consequence on 2021-02-19

The A.V. Club

I Care A Lot isn’t some brilliantly subversive social satire. It’s a tightly constructed, masterfully acted, lightly stylish little caper picture, which revels in just how mean it can be. It’s not essential, and it’s not for everybody. But for those who prefer their pulp to carry the faint aroma of moral rot, this movie is a real treat.

A review by Noel Murray for The A.V. Club on 2021-02-16

IGN

This contest of wicked wills is a vibrant, penetrating Pandora's Box of predicaments and likeable yet evil central characters, played with satirical skill by Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage.

A review by Matt Fowler for IGN on 2021-03-04

The New York Times

An unexpectedly gripping thriller that seesaws between comedy and horror, I Care a Lot is cleverly written (by the director, J Blakeson) and wonderfully cast.

A review by Jeannette Catsoulis for The New York Times on 2021-02-18

Variety

A sleekly unnerving thriller.

A review by Owen Gleiberman for Variety on 2020-09-16

San Francisco Chronicle

I Care a Lot is notable for its colorful supporting and featured roles — Chris Messina as a mob lawyer, Peter Dinklage as a Russian mobster and Eiza Gonzalez as Marla’s girlfriend. But the main attraction is Pike, who doesn’t try to make us like her. She commits to the character’s nature and holds us with her honesty, her intensity and her unmistakable pleasure in getting to play someone appalling.

A review by Mick LaSalle for San Francisco Chronicle on 2021-02-25

The Associated Press

It doesn’t all fit together, and I Care a Lot has ultimately no way of resolving its fairly ludicrous plot. But it’s strong, gripping, unpredictable pulp, and Pike pulls something off that few else could as a protagonist. She’s quite detestable and completely compelling.

A review by Jake Coyle for The Associated Press on 2021-02-19

Entertainment Weekly

Pike . . . feels unleashed by the wickedness of the role, gleefully sinking those gleaming white teeth into her finest villainy since Gone Girl. As the mercenary Marla — cool-eyed and indomitable, a razor blade poured into a buttercream blazer — she's delicious, a shiny-haired nihilist who couldn't care less if she tried.

A review by Leah Greenblatt for Entertainment Weekly on 2021-02-17

The A.V. Club

The film is arguably too long, with a mushy middle section that slows the momentum of its savage first third. But Pike’s performance remains sharp as her character’s blonde bob throughout, and the pleasures of watching her and Dinklage face off are significant.

A review by Katie Rife for The A.V. Club on 2020-09-16

Paste Magazine

Some of the film’s punchy dialogue pops us on the nose now and again with its Themes (specifically its notes on sexism and the American Dream), but if you’re willing to look past that and a contrived half-hour detour, I Care A Lot is a savvy and wicked endeavor peppered with personality.

A review by Jacob Oller for Paste Magazine on 2021-02-19

Vanity Fair

Pike has been nominated for a Golden Globe for the performance, but don’t let that turn you off. She is, once again, a stealthy marvel in this movie, cruel and clever. The rest of the film might not meet the heights of its star, but it is still a sleek and compelling standout in an erratic season, anchored by one of the great performances of the year (so far, anyway).

A review by Richard Lawson for Vanity Fair on 2021-02-18

The Hollywood Reporter

Whether you find this entertaining or repugnant will depend on your stomach for a despicable reality. But the movie delivers unquestionable pleasures in the pairing of Pike's monstrous manipulator with the always wonderful Dinklage's cool, calm killer, a man too smart not to recognize and respect his adversary's formidable intelligence.

A review by David Rooney for The Hollywood Reporter on 2020-09-15

TheWrap

I Care a Lot may have delusions about being a cautionary tale of elder abuse and the perils of court-appointed guardianship, but let’s be honest: It takes way too much delight in despicable people doing despicable things to really care a lot, or even much at all, about the larger social issues.

A review by Steve Pond for TheWrap on 2020-09-15

Slant Magazine

Throughout, J Blakeson crafts sharp, curt dialogue that makes a fashion statement out of contempt.

A review by Chuck Bowen for Slant Magazine on 2020-09-15

The Observer (UK)

The result is a nicely nasty tragicomedy, a rollercoaster ride that swaps real moral dilemmas for something more disposably entertaining, picking you up, spinning you around and then spitting you out with a neat sucker-punch ending that leaves you feeling entertained, if a little bit empty.

A review by Mark Kermode for The Observer (UK) on 2021-02-21

Rolling Stone

See the movie for the performances and the concept — and watch it closely for the potential it contains, but doesn’t entirely exploit.

A review by K. Austin Collins for Rolling Stone on 2021-02-19

The Irish Times

The final act descends into chaotic silliness, but watching Dinklage and Pike attempting to out-villain one another is never dull. Deborah Newhall’s costumes would look intimidatingly power-hungry on a clothes hanger, let alone Ms Pike. And there’s a terrifying subject lurking under the dark humour.

A review by Tara Brady for The Irish Times on 2021-02-19

Boston Globe

Marla Grayson is less a three-dimensional person (or even an interesting two-dimensional one) than a symptom of a sick society. And symptoms wear out their welcome pretty quickly. That shallowness renders Marla’s sexuality and stated feminism cynical rather than ironic, and it turns I Care a Lot into a lesser Coen brothers movie: No Country for Old Fogeys.

A review by Ty Burr for Boston Globe on 2021-02-25

Screen Rant

Tonally inconsistent, writer-director J Blakeson takes a big swing and misses with regards to the film’s message. Rosamund Pike gives a fiery, powerhouse performance, but there is something completely missing from I Care a Lot that makes it a hard pill to swallow.

A review by Mae Abdulbaki for Screen Rant on 2021-02-25

New York Magazine (Vulture)

I Care a Lot wants to race along like a caper movie; it wants to sting like a satire. But it often winds up fighting itself, paralyzed by its own toxin.

A review by Helen Shaw for New York Magazine (Vulture) on 2021-02-23

New York Post

The promising satire then shifts to a typical thriller with bloody shoot-outs, druggings, tazings and a car dramatically plummeting off a cliff. That business wears thin fast. I Care a Lot is almost two separate films, and I much prefer the first one.

A review by Johnny Oleksinski for New York Post on 2021-02-18

Los Angeles Times

A comic thriller with a delectably hard shell and a soft, hollow center.

A review by Justin Chang for Los Angeles Times on 2021-02-18

Chicago Tribune

The acting’s uniformly strong, and the script is distressingly weak.

A review by Michael Phillips for Chicago Tribune on 2021-02-18

Screen Daily

The escalating cat-and-mouse game between Pike’s schemer and Peter Dinklage’s Russian mobster has its pulpy pleasures, but the script’s arch cleverness and heavy-handed message about the corruption of the American dream make it hard to care as much as we should about who ends up on top.

A review by Tim Grierson for Screen Daily on 2020-09-15

Time

With I Care a Lot, Blakeson (whose credits include The 5th Wave and The Disappearance of Alice Creed) takes the easy way out, showing smart women doing bad stuff without bothering to write actual characters for them.

A review by Stephanie Zacharek for Time on 2021-02-19

Wall Street Journal

I defer to no one in my admiration for Ms. Pike and her fellow cast members, but it’s no fun watching them soldier on through this heavy-handed and mean-spirited charade. I Care a Lot is a good title for the film that might have been. In the film that is, you can’t find anyone to care about.

A review by Joe Morgenstern for Wall Street Journal on 2021-02-18