Directed by Rob Burnett
Written by Rob Burnett (screenplay) and Jonathan Evison (novel)
Starring Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, Selena Gomez and Jennifer Ehle
I was pleasantly surprised with The Fundamentals of Caring. This movie was limited to being released on just Netflix, but easily could have succeeded in theaters. This is one of those movies were you can't stop saying how "cute" of a movie it was after you have finished it. If asked to define why it was "cute," I am not sure what I would even say. It is a funny, feel-good, drama all in one. Thats all I can say. Plus, you can never get enough of Paul Rudd's cheeky personality.
Ben (Paul Rudd) is a man suffering from extreme loss (the loss of his son), and is in the middle of a divorce. In the midst of all this, he decides to take a course on becoming a caregiver. Immediately following the completion of the course, Ben takes a job interview with a family- a single mom (Jennifer Ehle) with her 18-year old son suffering from MS, Trevor (Craig Roberts). The mom very reluctantly hires him for this extremely difficult, important task, despite Ben's lack of experience. On top of having to keep track of Trevor's stretching, medication and meal schedule- Ben literally has to wipe his butt for him. Aside from the daunting daily tasks Ben does for Trevor, there isn't much else, considering Trevor is very introverted and spends his days watching TV and eating the same meal of waffles and sausage. Looking to make a difference in his life, Ben convinces his patient to go on a road trip with him to see the deepest pit in the world: a landmark that Trevor oddly has always wanted to see. Along the way they pick up a trash-talking, sarcastic young runaway, Dot (Selena Gomez). The three then embark on a journey where they all learn something about themselves.
The road trip that the main characters go on, at first appears as a way just to get Trevor out of the house- but it ends up being so much more. Ben is recovering from a tremendous amount of despair after his young son died and this road trip is serving as a perspective change on life for him. Dot is discovering herself as she runs away from her old life, and Trevor is seeing the world beyond the four walls of his house. This movie was filled with heart-warming moments, but no singular cliche emotional scene at the end of the movie. Thats what I liked so much about this movie, based on the book written by Jonathan Evison.
Aside from the emotion was a genuinely funny movie as well. Craig Roberts did a great job at bringing humor to his characters shitty situation. He could have been a depressing man wallowing in his emanate death from this crippling disease, but he was a sarcastic teenager that made a lot of jokes about his ass being wiped. Paul Rudd has always been a favorite of mine, and I always have appreciated the emotion and humor he brings to any of his characters. This role just adds to his wide array of strong characters. Selena Gomez was given a role of a snarky, rebel 20-something year old- and she played it well. She's not just a singer and a wizard of waverly place. This was a very heart-warming movie so bravo to Netflix for bringing this wonderful piece of work to us.
Ben (Paul Rudd) is a man suffering from extreme loss (the loss of his son), and is in the middle of a divorce. In the midst of all this, he decides to take a course on becoming a caregiver. Immediately following the completion of the course, Ben takes a job interview with a family- a single mom (Jennifer Ehle) with her 18-year old son suffering from MS, Trevor (Craig Roberts). The mom very reluctantly hires him for this extremely difficult, important task, despite Ben's lack of experience. On top of having to keep track of Trevor's stretching, medication and meal schedule- Ben literally has to wipe his butt for him. Aside from the daunting daily tasks Ben does for Trevor, there isn't much else, considering Trevor is very introverted and spends his days watching TV and eating the same meal of waffles and sausage. Looking to make a difference in his life, Ben convinces his patient to go on a road trip with him to see the deepest pit in the world: a landmark that Trevor oddly has always wanted to see. Along the way they pick up a trash-talking, sarcastic young runaway, Dot (Selena Gomez). The three then embark on a journey where they all learn something about themselves.
The road trip that the main characters go on, at first appears as a way just to get Trevor out of the house- but it ends up being so much more. Ben is recovering from a tremendous amount of despair after his young son died and this road trip is serving as a perspective change on life for him. Dot is discovering herself as she runs away from her old life, and Trevor is seeing the world beyond the four walls of his house. This movie was filled with heart-warming moments, but no singular cliche emotional scene at the end of the movie. Thats what I liked so much about this movie, based on the book written by Jonathan Evison.
Aside from the emotion was a genuinely funny movie as well. Craig Roberts did a great job at bringing humor to his characters shitty situation. He could have been a depressing man wallowing in his emanate death from this crippling disease, but he was a sarcastic teenager that made a lot of jokes about his ass being wiped. Paul Rudd has always been a favorite of mine, and I always have appreciated the emotion and humor he brings to any of his characters. This role just adds to his wide array of strong characters. Selena Gomez was given a role of a snarky, rebel 20-something year old- and she played it well. She's not just a singer and a wizard of waverly place. This was a very heart-warming movie so bravo to Netflix for bringing this wonderful piece of work to us.
I give The Fundamentals of Caring a...
7/10
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