The Fundamentals of Caring

Caring may be fundamental, but it never quite feels necessary.

As in Ant-Man, there's lots of shopworn redemption-plotting to get through here, and a sense that the filmmakers find the kind of jobs actually available to Americans a little beneath someone as twinkly-cute as Paul Rudd. But — also like in Ant-Man — the pleasures of Rudd overpower the programmatic elements.

The Fundamentals Of Caring is about as generic as indie dramedies come. (It even has ukulele on the soundtrack.) That doesn’t make it a bad movie—the cast all turn in convincing performances, and the dialogue is occasionally quite clever—but it doesn’t make it a memorable one either.

Inevitably, perhaps, it pulls its punches, and soft-pedals on any authentic misery that its scenarios might evoke. But its essential amiability and decency comes through.

The only reason it’s not unbearably saccharine is that Paul Rudd, again, grounds a film in something that feels genuine. He’s never an actor that comes across forced, and he does his best to find the truth in Burnett’s overwritten script.

It’s true that few movies are this aw-shucks nice these days, and for a short while The Fundamentals of Caring finds ways of retaining that kindness without lapsing into platitudes.

The Fundamentals of Caring cleaves so closely to the stereotypes of indie filmmaking, it’s as if it were created by some demonic cinematic algorithm.

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This was such a cute netflix film to watch at film and had me emotional as some points all the performances were great

Nothing groundbreaking, feel-good movie about an ornery teen in a wheelchair coming of age with Paul Judd as the driver. The only palpable tension was in worrying about when something fatal was almost going to happen. But the joke was on me.

Intouchables did it better and with fewer plot holes. Overall a pretty good film though. The carrgiver is a pretty one dimensional character whose motives are **** ending was weak.

The Fundamentals of Caring is a sweet and charming film that simply gets killed through its conventionality and unwillingness to be anything but predictable. The film really seems to go out of its way to be typical, which kills any chance it has at being a profound look at parenting, birth defects, and life as a whole. Paul Rudd and Craig Roberts both turn in very heartfelt and good performances in the film. It also does have some truly funny and moving sequences that make me wish the film was more daring and less risk averse. Selena Gomez's character is particularly typical and really does nothing for the film, other than reminding me a bit of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl at times for Trevor. That said, The Fundamentals of Caring is entertaining and decidedly sweet, even if typical.