REVIEW: The Fundamentals of Caring

The Fundamentals of Caring is a Netflix exclusive movie directed and written by Rob Burnett, it stars Craig Robertson, Paul Rudd, and Selena Gomez. It was released in January 2016.

At the start of this movie it seems to be a coming of age drama between Rudd’s and Robertson's characters. Robertson is a teenage boy with cerebral palsy and Rudd is hired as his caregiver. Robertson is stuck at home because of his disability, and Rudd sees that he wants out. At the start of the second act, the movie turns from a drama to a buddy road trip story comparable to the movie RV. Slowly throughout the film it turns from a drama into a comedy as the two develop their relationship from a caregiver to a friend. There are still aspects of drama as you learn about the characters past, and often confront things from it. This is when Gomez’s character is introduced, she's is a hitchhiker they pick up.

This is Burnett’s directorial and screenplay debut. He is known for being one of the head producers on Late Show with David Letterman and won five Emmy’s for his work on the show. This was Burnett’s debut, so not all of the directing is perfect. There are some very good shoot within the film, but not of it is perfect. It is good for a independent directs first time. The are also a few times the story does not flow very well, and at times it drags. Overall for a screenplay and directing debut, it is very good

The acting is by far the best part of this movie. The chemistry between the actors is some of the best I've seen in awhile. I like to see Paul Rudd back to his independent film roots after his two last films, Ant Man and Captain America: Civil War, which are both high budget action movies. It's also nice to see Selena Gomez go back to acting, she's been away from it working on her singing career. This is best acting I've seen from her. It's a step away from her Disney days, as she does a far amount of cursing, drinking, and smoking. Craig Robertson has always done smaller films like this, and he is at his best. He portrays his character's disability and rude nature perfectly. Sadly, the secondary characters are not as good as the main cast. That is noticeable throughout the movie.

The Fundamentals of Caring could take place at any point in time. A few adjustments would be made to fit the given time period, but this movie is timeless. It deals with issues that can happen to anyone at anytime. It's deeper meaning of what caring for another person and what family truly is, is a good lesson for all ages. This movie will really hit adults. Something happens in Rudd’s life that changes him forever, and its impact is shown throughout the film.

I would recommend this movie to anyone, but you'll have a deeper appreciation if your sense of humor is a little darker and things don't offend you very much. It is a good road trip story with a few twist to the people you'd expect to see in them. I give The Fundamentals of Caring a B+, and I recommend you give it a watch.