The Fundamentals of Caring
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Fundamentals of Caring'' is a 2016 American
road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...
comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
written and directed by Rob Burnett, based on the 2012 novel ''
The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving ''The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving'' is a 2012 novel by American author Jonathan Evison, published in 2012. The novel's plot revolves around the relationship between the titular caregiver, Ben Benjamin, and his teenage charge, Trevor Conkli ...
'' by
Jonathan Evison Jonathan Evison (born September 27, 1968) is an American writer known for his novels '' All About Lulu'', ''West of Here'', '' The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving'', '' This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!'', '' Lawn Boy'', ''Legends of the N ...
. Starring
Paul Rudd Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. He studied theater at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, before making his acting debut in 1991. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in ...
,
Craig Roberts Craig Haydn Roberts (born 21 January 1991) is a Welsh actor and director. He is best known for lead roles as Oliver Tate in the coming-of-age comedy-drama film '' Submarine'' (2010) and David Meyers in the series ''Red Oaks'' (2014–2017), and ...
, and
Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...
, the film had its world premiere at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
on January 29, 2016, and was released on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
on June 24, 2016.


Plot

Ben is an out-of-work writer in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, avoiding his estranged wife’s attempts to serve him with divorce papers. He takes a six-week course to become a registered
caregiver A caregiver or carer is a paid or unpaid member of a person's social network who helps them with activities of daily living. Since they have no specific professional training, they are often described as informal caregivers. Caregivers most commo ...
and is hired by Elsa, a bank office manager from England, to care for her 18-year-old son Trevor, who has
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe type of muscular dystrophy that primarily affects boys. Muscle weakness usually begins around the age of four, and worsens quickly. Muscle loss typically occurs first in the thighs and pelvis fol ...
. Ben adjusts to Trevor’s routine and bonds with the sardonic, sexually frustrated teenager. Trevor reveals that his father left when he was diagnosed at age 3, and sends Trevor letters which he ignores. Elsa and Trevor know Ben is coping with the death of his young son. Elsa warns Ben not to become too close to Trevor, fearing Trevor will be hurt when Ben inevitably moves on. Trevor is fascinated with American roadside attractions, and Ben convinces Elsa to let them take a road trip. He and Trevor embark on a journey to see the world's deepest pit. Additionally, Trevor asks to visit his father, who owns a car dealership in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
. At a gas station, Trevor develops a crush on a hitchhiker his age named Dot. When he and Ben see her again outside a diner, Ben invites her to join them on the road. Dot explains that she is heading to
Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
to restart her life. Stopping at a motel, Ben suspects they are being followed by someone sent by his wife. Traveling down the highway, they find a pregnant woman, Peaches, whose car has broken down and they offer her a ride. When they stop for the night, Trevor asks Dot on a date to the diner across the street, and she accepts. The next day, the four confront Trevor's father at his dealership. He admits although Elsa asked him to write to Trevor, he never did. Elsa wrote all the letters herself. Uninterested in connecting with his son, Trevor’s father offers him money instead, but Trevor and his companions leave. Lashing out at each other, Trevor and Ben prepare to drive home, but Dot insists they complete their journey. Arriving at the world’s deepest pit, Trevor, Dot, and Peaches head to the bottom, while Ben waits at the top, saying he forgot his mobile. He confronts the driver who has been following them and discovers he is Dot's father, who wants to make sure she safely reaches Denver. Suddenly, Ben receives a frantic call from Dot, and he races to the bottom of the pit, fearing something has happened to Trevor. He discovers Peaches has gone into labor. He helps her deliver her baby, overcoming his guilt of his son's death, when his car, with the parking brake accidentally not fully engaged, ran over his son while Ben was unloading groceries. Peaches and her newborn son are taken to the hospital. Dot reconciles with her father, who agrees to take her the rest of the way to Denver. She kisses Trevor before she leaves, promising to keep in touch. With a borrowed
spinal board A spinal board, is a patient handling device used primarily in pre-hospital trauma care. It is designed to provide rigid support during movement of a person with suspected spinal or limb injuries. They are most commonly used by ambulance staff, ...
, Ben helps Trevor fulfill his wish of urinating standing up, over the rail, into the pit. Ben and Trevor return home, and Ben finalizes his divorce. He begins writing his next novel about Trevor, indicating he has remained close friends with him.


Cast

*
Paul Rudd Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. He studied theater at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, before making his acting debut in 1991. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in ...
as Ben Benjamin *
Craig Roberts Craig Haydn Roberts (born 21 January 1991) is a Welsh actor and director. He is best known for lead roles as Oliver Tate in the coming-of-age comedy-drama film '' Submarine'' (2010) and David Meyers in the series ''Red Oaks'' (2014–2017), and ...
as Trevor *
Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...
as Dot *
Jennifer Ehle Jennifer Anne Ehle (; born December 29, 1969) is an American actress, the daughter of English actress Rosemary Harris and American author John Ehle. She gained fame for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC miniseries ''Pride and Prejudice ...
as Elsa *
Megan Ferguson Megan Ferguson is an American actress. In 2011, Ferguson married fellow actor Nico Evers-Swindell. Filmography Film Television References External links

* Living people American film actresses American television actresses Year ...
as Peaches *
Frederick Weller Frederick Weller (born April 18, 1966) is an American actor known for portraying Johnny Sandowski on ''Missing Persons,'' Shane Mungitt in '' Take Me Out'' and Marshall Mann on ''In Plain Sight''. Early life Weller was born in New Orleans, Lou ...
as Bob *
Bobby Cannavale Roberto Michael Cannavale (; born May 3, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for various television roles, including leading roles in ''Third Watch'', ''Vinyl'', and ''Mr. Robot'', as well as recurring roles in ''Will & Grace'', which wo ...
as Cash * Julia Denton as Janet


Production

On October 11, 2012,
Worldwide Pants Worldwide Pants Inc. is an American television and film production company founded and owned by comedian and talk show host David Letterman. The company was formerly headquartered at the Ed Sullivan Theater building in New York City, but has sinc ...
' Rob Burnett and
Jon Beckerman Jon Beckerman is a producer, director and writer best known for his projects with Rob Burnett. He was born in 1969. He graduated from Shady Side Academy in 1987 and Harvard University in 1991. Career Jon's biggest success has been working with Ro ...
acquired the film rights to
Jonathan Evison Jonathan Evison (born September 27, 1968) is an American writer known for his novels '' All About Lulu'', ''West of Here'', '' The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving'', '' This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!'', '' Lawn Boy'', ''Legends of the N ...
's novel ''
The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving ''The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving'' is a 2012 novel by American author Jonathan Evison, published in 2012. The novel's plot revolves around the relationship between the titular caregiver, Ben Benjamin, and his teenage charge, Trevor Conkli ...
''. Burnett adapted and directed the film, and
Donna Gigliotti Donna Gigliotti is an American film producer. She is best known for producing ''Shakespeare in Love'', ''Hidden Figures'', ''Silver Linings Playbook'' and '' The Reader''. Gigliotti started her professional career as an assistant to Martin Sco ...
and James Spies produced. On January 7, 2015,
Paul Rudd Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. He studied theater at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, before making his acting debut in 1991. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in ...
was cast to play the male lead, and on January 13,
Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...
also joined the film. On December 7, it was announced that the original title, ''The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving'', had been changed to ''The Fundamentals of Caring.'' It was later revealed
Bobby Cannavale Roberto Michael Cannavale (; born May 3, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for various television roles, including leading roles in ''Third Watch'', ''Vinyl'', and ''Mr. Robot'', as well as recurring roles in ''Will & Grace'', which wo ...
and
Frederick Weller Frederick Weller (born April 18, 1966) is an American actor known for portraying Johnny Sandowski on ''Missing Persons,'' Shane Mungitt in '' Take Me Out'' and Marshall Mann on ''In Plain Sight''. Early life Weller was born in New Orleans, Lou ...
had been cast in the film as well, with
Craig Roberts Craig Haydn Roberts (born 21 January 1991) is a Welsh actor and director. He is best known for lead roles as Oliver Tate in the coming-of-age comedy-drama film '' Submarine'' (2010) and David Meyers in the series ''Red Oaks'' (2014–2017), and ...
also added to star opposite Rudd.


Filming

Principal photography began on January 22, 2015, in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, Georgia. In early February filming took place in
Cartersville Cartersville is a city in Bartow County, Georgia, United States; it is located within the northwest edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 23,187. Cartersville is the county seat of Bartow Cou ...
, Georgia. The shoot concluded on February 26, 2015, after 26 days of filming.


Release

The film had its world premiere on January 29 at the
2016 Sundance Film Festival The 2016 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 21 to January 31, 2016. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 2, 2015. The opening night film was ''Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You'', directed by Heidi Ew ...
as the Closing Night Film. In January 2016, prior to its festival premiere,
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
acquired the film's global distribution rights, and began streaming it on June 24, 2016.


Critical reception

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
the film has a rating of 77%, based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The site's consensus reads: "''The Fundamentals Of Caring'' gets maximum mileage out of the chemistry between its well-matched leads as it follows a fairly well-worn coming-of-age road trip route". On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a score of 55 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."


References


External links


Fundamentals of Caring''
on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fundamentals Of Caring, The 2016 films American comedy-drama films Films based on American novels Films shot in Atlanta English-language Netflix original films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films