Review of The Fundamentals of Caring (2016) by Johnny T — 27 Jun 2016

The Fundamentals of Caring is a solid buddy movie that uses some genuinely funny moments to underscore a poignant message about friendship and dealing with the cards life has dealt you. What makes The Fundamentals of Caring such a worthwhile Netflix original movie is not what it sets out to change, but how much it wishes to encapsulate you with its characters. And while it certainly won't win any awards for subtlety, The Fundamentals of Caring boasts a talented cast, sharp wit, and a funny script to liven the buddy road trip genre past its apparent tropes. The cast all turn in convincing performances, and the dialogue is occasionally quite clever. Above everything else this movie has to offer, what stands strongest is the unmistakable chemistry between leads Paul Rudd and Craig Roberts. I also have to give credit to Selena Gomez, who does a great job lending to the story through the character of Dot. While serving as another example of trying to get Trevor out of his comfort zone, her personality stands out against Ben and Trevor thanks to Gomez's conviction and liveliness in attaining that rebel runaway persona. When so many of Netflix's original movie offerings seem to be wan comedies from Adam Sandler or Ricky Gervais, it's nice to see them giving a large platform to a nicely tuned movie like this.

VERDICT: "High-Quality Stuff" - [Positive Reaction] This is a rating to a movie I view as very entertaining and well made, and definitely worth paying the full price at a theatre to see or own on DVD. It is not perfect, but it is definitely excellent. (Films that are rated 3.5 or 4 stars).