The Fundamentals of Caring ; Movie Review



Synopsis: A writer (Paul Rudd) retires after a personal tragedy and becomes a disabled teen's caregiver. When the two embark on an impromptu road trip, their ability to cope is tested as they start to understand the importance of hope and friendship.

Director: Rob Burnett

Distributed By: Netflix

Cast: Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Ehle, Megan Ferguson, Fred Weller, Bobby Cannavale 

Reflections:

I'm going to preface this review with the fact that I hate the recent romanticization of illness in the media within the past few years. It is not beautiful to have cancer, mental illness, or any sort of physical illness.  This very opinion is the reason I hated The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, other than the writing style not being of my taste, I found the effect of the novel romanticized cancer to teenagers. Obviously, I also ended up hating the movie, even though there was only so much the actors could do with the script they were given.

On another note, at 8:30 this morning as I was eating my cinnamon oatmeal and strawberries, I saw The Fundamentals of Caring pop up on my Netflix feed. I was curious so after I saw the list of actors playing in the film, I decided to watch the trailer; I was won over immediately. 

The sense of humor in this movie was phenomenal. The entire story was touching, yes. However, the film went about the subject of Trevor having DMD (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy) with an air that portrayed him as a normal person, even though the entire film is of Ben being Trevor's caregiver. Trevor's issues were not romanticized and the sarcastic personality of all the characters, except for Peaches, made the film brilliant from start to finish. 

I leave this film feeling educated on a subject I have never been much exposed to. I also leave with the feeling that I just enjoyed a few hours with a group of friends, laughing and having a good time. This film engages the audience to feel like they're with the characters from start to finish. A truly hilarious, a bit strange, and moving film. 


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