Available for streaming on Netflix, Rob Burnett’s 2016 dramedy The Fundamentals of Caring stars Craig Roberts as snarky and foul-mouthed Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)-stricken Trevor Conklin, Paul Rudd as his new 24/7-carer Ben, and Selena Gomez as their newfound companion Dot. This humorous and poignant movie tells the story of a retired writer-turned-carer and his care-ee who travel the United States to see the country’s “lamest roadside attractions,” but end up dealing with personal issues along the way.
A FUNDAMENTAL OVERVIEW
The film opens with Ben getting his caregiving certification and meeting Trevor and his mom Elsa at their house. She asks why he wants to be a caregiver; he says he likes helping people. Trevor’s got a wacky, snarky sense of humor, but Ben gets his approval for the job. Ben’s wife Janet has been wanting a divorce for two-and-a-half years, but Ben hasn’t been ready to sign the papers. Elsa instructs Ben in caring for Trevor, who likes routine and takes a cock - tail of medications and supplements. They get to know each other over a montage. When Ben says he used to write books, Trevor says he should write about him for his next one. Seeing that Trevor likes watching a show where a “hot chick” visits roadside attractions, Ben proposes visiting those for real. After getting the most recent of many “lame” let - ters from his father, Trevor says that the man left after he was diagnosed at three years old. It seems to me that Trevor hates him because “He’s not [...] my father. A father’s supposed to be there for his kid, protect him from harm. That’s the only job a father has.” Elsa says she’ll have to go to Atlanta for a week-long training seminar, and she tells Ben that both she and Trevor know about Ben’s son having died. Ben calls Trevor out on what he’d said earlier about his own father. She’s against the road trip idea because caring for Trevor has so many moving parts (his medications, his CPAP, etc.). The trip’ll end with Trevor and Ben seeing the World’s Largest Pit, which she calls “a hole in the earth.” Ben’s attitude is that it’ll be good for Trevor to “[get] out of the living room.”
“You’re suggesting that I risk my son’s life so he can see a hole in the earth?”
“I’m suggesting that your son gets out of the living room.” —Elsa Conklin & Ben Benjamin
Elsa reluctantly agrees to the idea, and our two deuteragonists are off! First stop, a gas station. Trevor had said earlier that if he didn’t have DMD, he’d want to pee standing up. Ben tries to help him do that several times, but it apparently doesn’t go well. They pass leather jacket-wearing, cigarette-smoking “bad girl” Dot outside the gas station convenience store; when she compliments Trevor’s sneakers, he just says “Mall” even though he got them online. He later tells Ben, “a girl like that’s not gonna be interested in me.” Trevor tries a Slim Jim at Ben’s suggestion, breaking from his routine of only having two waffles and a sausage, ever, with supplements to make up for nutrition. They go and see the World’s Largest Bovine, and Trevor says he’s decided that he wants to see his father at the latter’s car dealer - ship in Salt Lake City. They spot Dot hitchhiking and pick her up. She’s on her way to Denver for art school. Ben keeps seeing the same car and assumes that Janet’s sent someone to make him sign the divorce papers. They pick up a pregnant woman named Peaches. At their next ho - tel, Trevor and Dot plan to go on a date. After the date, Trevor doesn’t sleep with his CPAP mask on, which I thought was weird; isn’t that ba - sically mandatory? Anyway, they head to the car dealership, where Mr. Conklin reveals that Elsa’s the one who wrote the letters. Trevor wheels himself out to the parking lot, background music conveying that this is a low point in the film. He calls Ben out as taking the caregiver job for “redemption” after his son’s death. Trevor wants to go home, but Dot insists on seeing the Pit. They arrive and check it out. Ben con - fronts the mystery car driver—Dot’s dad, looking out for his daughter. Peaches goes into labor at the Pit, and Ben delivers the baby. Later, Dot and her dad hug it out; he’s gonna take her the rest of the way to Den ver. Before she leaves, she tells Trevor he’s “handsome and cool,” and they kiss—the guy gets the girl! Also, he gets to take a standing pee into the Pit even with DMD thanks to a bor - rowed spinal board. Ben gets Trevor home safe, gives Janet the signed pa - pers, and writes a book about Trevor.
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like Trevor’s crude sense of humor (which definitely earns the film its TV-MA rating) was developed as a coping mechanism to deal with his incurable disease. His character is both funny and sympathetic. Ben’s sympathetic, too. It’s not really clarified where Trevor’s need for routine comes from, we’re just told that “if it’s disrupted, he’ll have a panic attack.” I would’ve liked more information about that. We see him pretty nervous several times (such as when he says he doesn’t want to do the road trip, when he grips a blanket tightly while Ben drives along the open road, or when the dash light on the van goes off); while we do see him panic (deep breathing and such), that’s in response to Ben’s “I forgot your meds and CPAP machine at the other hotel” prank, not during a break in his routine.
In terms of direction, the soundtrack’s excellent and each piece is played at fitting times in the story (there’s Kishi Bashi’s upbeat Bright Whites during Ben and Trevor’s “getting to know each other” montage, instrumental music during the first leg of the road trip to convey awe and wonder, sad music after the revelation about the letters, etc.) and the characters are all well-rounded and likable. The film doesn’t really have an antagonist, besides maybe Elsa’s well-meaning and understandable worry over Trevor’s safety, Dot’s dad's concern for hers, and Ben’s guilt over his son’s death (on a side note, the lack of a soundtrack during Ben’s dreams/flashbacks to his son’s implied death really helps highlight the seriousness of those moments). I accurately predicted Dot and Trevor getting together by the end, but was surprised at how drawn-out their kiss scene was; I was expecting it to be a quick peck on the lips at most, but it was closer to making out. I feel like you don’t really ever see characters with disabilities portrayed as anything but…chaste, for lack of a better word. Trevor’s character is refreshingly different from typical portrayals—he’s not the innocent happy-go-lucky disabled guy who catalyzes change in the able-bodied hero’s life while remaining static himself, or the depressed and sullen guy mourning his inability to do things that able-bodied people take for granted. I like that the film rarely spells things out for the viewers; one example of this is that Trevor’s dad seems to be drunk or something, as shown by his slow, near-monotone speech, but no one says it outright. Another is that Trevor doesn’t need to go on an emotion-filled tirade after the revelation about the letters for the audience to understand how he’s feeling.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Fundamentals of Caring is a story of dealing with loss, disability, and of course, traveling. But Ben and Trevor aren’t just venturing beyond the walls of Trevor’s home, they’re venturing outside their “comfort zones” (for example, Trevor breaks his streak of only eating waffles, sausage, and vitamin supplements when Ben gets him to eat a Slim Jim; Ben breaks away from his guilt over his son’s death). The movie definite - ly shows that it’s possible to have quadriplegia and live life. I give this movie 5/5 for the deadpan humor despite the characters’ unfortunate circumstances, 4.5/5 for the story (it was good, even though some parts were predictable), and 5/5 for the chemistry between Rudd, Gomez and Roberts’ characters. Roberts may not be disabled, but he does an excellent job bringing Trevor to life. If you’re looking for crude laughs mixed with some tear jerking scenes, wrapped up in the relationships between parent and child, this is the film for you.
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