Wednesday, 19 October 2016

Film review: The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)


Directed by: Rob Burnett
Written by: Jonathan Evision (novel), Rob Burnett (screenplay)
Starring: Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, Selena Gomez

Following a tragic loss Ben (Paul Rudd) decides to become a care giver, he is employed as a full-time carer for Trevor (Craig Roberts) and whilst on a week’s road trip they both see life from a different perspective.


The Fundamentals of Caring is another feature length that Netflix have added to their ever-growing library of films. Exploring anguish and bereavement; this recent Netflix instalment seems to follow an already well established theme, the notion of helping someone disadvantaged and in return overcoming personal grief. The title doesn’t slip off the tongue either (I had to double check it before writing this review), you may forget the relevance of the title as ‘the fundamentals of caring’ is a quick whistle-stop mention at the beginning of the film however not all movies can be as obvious as Snakes on a Plane.  At the beginning, Trevor’s mother explains to Ben that her son suffers with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, she goes on to say that he is very anxious and only ever leaves the house on a Thursday when he is taken to the park for a few hours. So when Trevor is introduced you may find yourself surprised by his overtly confident humour and self-assured behaviour which doesn’t quite fit what we have been led to believe about him, nevertheless it’s taken on the chin which wouldn’t be the case should the script have been half as entertaining. Roberts and Rudd make an unlikely pairing however they delight with wonderful complimenting performances. To say that the plot is familiar is not to say that it’s a tired or weary film, in fact far from it, just don’t expect the most original piece on Netflix.  

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