It is not unusual to see a smaller network or studio produce a film that is similar to a more familiar title.  For example, take one of the most popular science fiction/action films of all time, The Terminator (1984).  Some have noted that the 1990 low-budget production Hardware bears a striking similarity to its predecessor.  You can understand the temptation.  Because one movie was successful, the makers of another try to reproduce something that will imitate it.  I cannot say whether that is what happened with The Bad Guardian (2024), but it is a bit like I Care a Lot (2020).  My only thought in choosing The Bad Guardian was to examine potential elder abuse from a Catholic perspective.  It ended up being that, but it also spoke to me on a personal level.  I will take that over the slimy behavior you see in I Care a Lot.

One can see that Leigh Delgado (Melissa Joan Hart) cares a lot about her father, Jason Davis (Eric Pierpoint), at the start of The Bad Guardian.  Such is her concern for him that she cuts short a family vacation so they can return to him when he does not answer several phone calls.  Upon entering his house, they notice blood on the floor and him missing.  The police are called, and it is not until the next day that he is located in an assisted living facility.  When she finally gets to him, he recounts having had an accident.  With the power out and not being able to locate his phone, he took himself to the hospital.  Once there, the doctors had declared him unfit to take care of himself and sent him to the facility.  Given his delirium, that last bit is filled in by the building’s owner, Janet Timms (La La Anthony).  When Leigh signals that she will be taking her father home, Janet says that will be impossible.  With the recommendation of medical professionals, Jason has been placed under her guardianship.  She claims to have attempted to reach the Delgados many times, but had been unsuccessful.  The lack of communication and the opinion of the hospital staff gave her all the legal authority she needed to take over Jason’s care.  Leigh is blindsided by the news.  As a working mother, she also does not have all the time in the world to pursue the legality of everything that is happening to her father.  Indeed, she learns of a court proceeding in Jason’s case only an hour before it happens.  She rushes over, risking losing her job at the diner, only to have the arbiter, Judge Russell Bean (Pat Dortch), barely listen to her or Jason’s pleas.  Instead, Janet’s guardian status is upheld.  It gets worse.  The first step anyone might consider in such a situation is legal action, but her family cannot afford to keep a lawyer on retainer.  Next, Jason’s belongings and home are put up for sale, with Janet citing the overwhelming costs of his healthcare.  However, the worst part of all this is the meddling into Leigh’s ability to visit her dad.  Initially, she has no problem seeing him.  Yet, the more of a fuss she raises about how he is being treated, the less inclined is the staff to allow her access to him.  The one person at the facility who is helpful is the nurse, Teresa Williams (Mystie Smith).  Against the desires of her superiors, Teresa is candid about the poor conditions Jason is enduring.  She also gives Leigh medical updates that the personnel are not supposed to provide.  With seemingly every avenue to her blocked, including eventually being told that she is no longer allowed on the premises, Leigh turns to the media.  Hoping to get the word out, she manages to get into the local news station and speak to lead reporter Mitch Young (Eddie Yu).  He tells her that while her story is an awful one, the lack of corroboration and/or proof means there is nothing more to say about it.  With that, Leigh sets to work finding others who have experienced similar abuse under Janet’s so-called “care.”  Though they are out there, they are initially unwilling to talk to her.  It takes some determination, but some do come forward, and she gives them Mitch’s card.  Word eventually gets to Janet, who comes to Leigh and not-so-subtly warns the working mom to back down.  This is when Jason’s medical treatment really begins to change.  At times, they do not allow him to eat.  They give him anti-anxiety medication in order to keep him calm against his will.  The most threatening development comes in the form of a draconian measure to take care of tingling in his foot caused by diabetes.  Instead of giving him stem cell treatment, which is not a Catholic approach, Janet’s people are recommending amputating his leg because it will be cheaper.  Any possible objection is further silenced when Teresa is not only fired, but eventually killed in a hit-and-run “accident.”  Leigh learns of the death as she is told by Mitch that the network killed the story that would have exposed the scandal.  She had come to beg that he move it up because she had decided to take the matter to court in a last-ditch effort to free her father.  The person who has volunteered to help her with the trial is former lawyer Casey Hilder (Teri Clark), whose mother had died while under Janet’s supervision.  In the days leading up to the hearing, Leigh goes to Janet and says she will stop everything if Jason is released.  Instead, Janet mocks her, saying that Judge Bean will do whatever she wants.  Little does she know that Leigh records her.  That segment is played in front of Judge Bean, and it is a deciding factor in Leigh’s victory.  Finally, on the way out, it comes to light that Janet’s brother, David Timms (Jason M. Jones), had murdered Teresa.  We close with Jason in the Delgado household celebrating his eighty-second birthday.

The way that The Bad Guardian ends is cause for celebration, though the post-script gives a stark reminder as to how common are these awful practices.  Because I am a Catholic and follow the Church’s social teachings, I am sensitive to the plight of elders in such situations.  In fact, many of the issues discussed here were ones I wrestled with, emotionally and practically, when I was called upon to take care of the old man with whom I used to live.  There are no easy answers, and lawyers and others whose opinion I value advised me that I should take on a form of guardianship for him given his lack of any family.  While he languished in an assisted living facility that I know he did not want to be in, I had to make some of the same decisions as did Janet.  I hope that what separates me from her is that I was not in it for financial gain.  What was out of my hands was the ability to take him home, which he could not do in his condition.  Everything else was a matter of his will.  What is impressive about the film is Leigh’s care and sacrifice she makes for Jason.  She embodies the Fifth Commandment, Exodus 20:12, to honor your parents.  There are a lot of ways of doing this, but that the amount of awareness she raises for the predatory practices of people like Janet is as good an example as any.  What makes this story a little more interesting is that Janet claims that she is doing the same thing.  A “guardian” can approximate the role of a child caring for an aging parent.  It is not entirely untrue that Leigh was unavailable at a moment of need for Jason.  However, again, Janet’s motivation is not altruistic, and that is the heart of the commandment.

It is also accurate to say that The Bad Guardian has a lot of heart.  As I indicated in the introduction, this is something missing from I Care a Lot.  The Bad Guardian is a made-for-television film, but I will take it over the other any day.