Review of The Fundamentals of Caring (2016) by Thomas D — 09 Jul 2016
The Fundamentals of Caring is neither a good or a bad road trip movie, nor is it quite the movie I expected. It's another average instalment in the tiring genre of road trip buddy-comedies. Fortunately, there's much more underneath the surface for this Netflix original film.
Starring Paul Rudd as the charming but also very guarded caretaker (Ben) and Craig Roberts (Trevor) as a vulgar late teen with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the film brings their unwilling bond on a road trip that will change their lives forever. Forever is strong, but the events certainly change both of their perspectives on life. The plot is predictable and far from extraordinary, but the message and themes of adventure never grow tired.
Much of the major plot points regarding Ben's past and Trevor's future are easy to predict within the first 15 minutes or so, but I appreciated where the story goes from there. It also doesn't hurt that Roberts and Rudd have great chemistry, with Rudd clearly showing just how good he can be at balancing drama and comedy.
The middle act is benefited by an uncharacteristically unplugged performance from Selena Gomez and a few other surprises along the way. Those surprises, however, make for some of the more contrived moments, and even painfully on-the-nose emotional arcs, but the performances really carry you through the weaker scenes. Gomez plays a hitchhiker and love interest for Trevor. Both of which feel forced for the sake of the story at first, but I grew to enjoy this daring career choice for Gomez. It reminded me a whole lot like Kate Hudson's Penny role in Almost Famous.
This film is just fine for what it is, and that's a pleasant cable watch (in this case Netflix) for a Sunday morning. With a brisk run-time and fun performances from the cast, the majority of the contrived and clichéd elements can be forgiven.
+Rudd's charm.
+Comedy picks up once they get on the road.
+New role for Gomez.
-Contrived and forced moments.
-Nothing really new here.
6.8/10.
This review of The Fundamentals of Caring (2016) was written by Thomas D on 09 Jul 2016.
The Fundamentals of Caring has generally received positive reviews.
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