The Fundamentals of Caring (2016) Review

Directed by

Rob Burnett

Streaming services like Netflix are revolutionizing the film industry.  It seems like there are more and more things being made and produced to go straight to streaming.  Television shows have been the primary focus so far, however some movies have started to permeate.  Netflix currently has a deal with Adam Sandler for his recent run of movies, but if you have seen the types of movies he has made for them (The Ridiculous 6, The Do-Over), Netflix might want to take back their deal.  The movies that have started to make this a viable option are films like Beasts of No Nation which many people believe would have been an Oscar nominee if it hadn't been a Netflix release (although some would try to blame it on race).  The latest Netflix feature film is continuing to show that quality can come from films that debut on the internet.

The Fundamentals of Caring stars Paul Rudd as ... well, Paul Rudd.  His character's name is Ben, but the characteristics of Ben match most roles Rudd plays.  Ben is a more tragic turn on the traditional Rudd persona though.  He is a man down on his luck that is searching for new purpose in his life.  He tries out a new job of being a professional caregiver.  His first assignment is a boy named Trevor (Craig Roberts).  He is suffering from muscular dystrophy and is confined to a wheelchair.  His mother has yet to find a caregiver that will put up with Trevor's quirks.  It is quickly apparent that Ben is the perfect caregiver as he has the wit to match Trevor's sense of humor.  In the first interactions between Ben and Trevor, you realize this is a different type of movie.  Instead of being the traditional, inspirational, coming-of-age tale you might expect out of such a situation, it instead turns into a buddy comedy with flashes of a coming-of-age story.  In between scenes of Ben and Trevor hilariously bantering back and forth, Ben helps Trevor break out of his shell and explore the world as they decide to go on a road trip to see worthless landmarks like the World's Biggest Bovine and the World's Deepest Pit.  Along the way, they meet some new friends as you continue to enjoy just being a fly on the wall in the lives of this match made in heaven.

Like I said, Paul Rudd is not forced to stretch his acting chops very much.  There really is no problem with that though.  Paul Rudd is one of those actors who seems to be endlessly entertaining just being himself.  Whether it is being Phoebe's husband in the final season of Friends or being the most refreshing part of the newest wave of Marvel movies, Paul Rudd has shown that it is entertaining just seeing Paul Rudd being Paul Rudd.  The real revelation in The Fundamentals of Caring is Craig Roberts.  He has had minor roles in some notable movies in the last few years, however he truly shows his capabilities in this performance.  I was also pleasantly surprised by Selena Gomez.  This is the first time I have seen her act since Spring Breakers ("Spring Break Forever!), and she is not one you think of when considering young acting talent, but she fits right in with this dysfunctional pair.  Lastly, it's always nice to see Bobby Cannavale in anything.

Rob Burnett is not what you would consider a household name when it comes to quality film making, however he is a veteran of the industry.  His most notable credits are writer and producer of the early 2000's show Ed as well as head writer and executive producer for The Late Show with David Letterman.  Knowing just that alone shows how talented he is.  As Burnett is trying to blaze a path in film, this movie will definitely help his standings.  The Fundamentals of Caring is a breath of fresh air.

If there was one critique I would have, it would be with the ending.  It ends a little too cliche and conventional than the rest of the movie deserves.  However, it is not something that, I would say, ruins the film.  I just wish it were a little different.  Overall, this film is definitely one worth seeing, especially since all it takes is to log in to your Netflix account and click on it.

Rating:

Watch the trailer here:

SNL 39.8 Review - Paul Rudd, One Direction

Coming down the stretch to Christmas at Saturday Night Live, a dream lineup had been assembled to make for a run of shows that would go down as SNL classics.  The first of the three, comparatively, was bound to be the worst of the group when you consider John Goodman (one of the greatest hosts of all time) and the Jimmy Fallon / Justin Timberlake explosion were going to follow it up.  However, Paul Rudd is no slouch, and once I realized he would be there promoting his upcoming movie that stars possibly the most beloved SNL cast members of the last 20 years, I knew we might be in for something special.

Cold Opening

I knew we might have an appearance of Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 News Team because Paul Rudd was hosting.  What I did not realize was that the random guest stars that always seem to pop up around the holidays would not just be confined to the one Christmas episode this year.  It would be a 3 episode star-studded affair.  This became evident right off the bat when SNL made their statement on the live broadcast of The Sound of Music starring Carrie Underwood.  Enter Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen, two former cast members that really could never be replaced.  They pull out one of their old classic bits that is endlessly entertaining, and I still have no idea why.  Enjoy.

Monologue

If I thought the Cold Opening got the show off to a great start, that was before the Monologue made it perfect.  Paul Rudd, a great actor, has always seemed to be overshadowed in his hosting gigs by his musical guests.  First it was Beyonce, then it was Paul McCartney.  I mean a Beatle and Sacha Fierce?!?  How do you compete with that!  Paul Rudd was determined this would not happen this time, but there was a threat with One Direction as the musical guest.  When One Direction shows up in his monologue, he is determined to make sure he isn't overshadowed by the boy band.  So he brings out his man band.  Newsteam Assemble!!!  Enter David Koechner, Steve Carell, and yes, Will Ferrell.  So what happens in the boy band vs. man band showdown?  A sing off.  What song?  "Afternoon Delight" of course, which was brought back to prominence by the first Anchorman film.  This show couldn't have been off to a better start.  It could only go down from here, right?  Yes, yes it could...

Weekend Update

It's not that the rest of the show was terrible.  It just never reached the perfection that were the first two sketches.  Weekend Update brought back two very popular characters, one brand new and one that has been around for a year or so.  First was Bar-Mitzvah Boy Jacob who is always fun.  It also brought about one of the first blatant references to Seth Meyers's upcoming departure for the new Late Night show as Jimmy Fallon takes over for Leno.  (By the way, odds Fallon has a moment of advice at the Weekend Update desk for Seth Meyers in his final episode?  I would say high.)  The next act, Jebidiah Atkinson, has become an instant classic as he berates and rips apart anything that America holds as beloved.  Today's subject of his attack?  Christmas stories.  Taran Killam can do anything and has quickly become the new Will Ferrell.

Best Sketch

The rest of the sketches after the first two were solid for the most part, but nowhere near great.  The best of these others just happened to also include One Direction as Paul Rudd played their biggest fan, Dan Charles.  The best part of this sketch is watching him talk to all the teen and tween girls waiting in the same line he is in.  They obviously don't like the fact that he is there.

Worst Sketch

Usually the mock movie trailers are my favorite parts of this season.  However, this trailer for White Christmas falls flat.  The premise was to take a basic movie trailer for a Tyler Perry movie or any other recent Black comedy and swap out all the cast members for the whitest people you can find.  Is it still funny?  No, it's not.  And maybe that was the joke.  Maybe it was purposefully stupid.  Either way, the only thing worth seeing here is Paul Rudd dressed as a white Madea.  Once you see it though, there is not much else to see, besides the confused looks on Kenan's and Jay's faces.

Dark Horse Sketch

Like I have said before, this spot is reserved for the fun, off-beat, surprising sketch after Weekend Update that stands out for its odd-ball comedy.  With Will Ferrell in town, they couldn't resist dusting off the greatest Dark Horse Sketch in recent memory: Bill Brasky.  If you haven't seen a Bill Brasky sketch, here it is in a nutshell: Will Ferrell and his cronies dawn bad suits and buck teeth and spout out the most random crap they can think of about their dear friend Bill while drinking from over-sized scotch glasses.  It is so stupid and so hysterical all at the same time.  I wish we didn't have to wait 10 years to see a new one.

Grade

This show got off to the best start it could possibly have.  Although it fizzled a little in the middle, it ended with another classic and got the holiday season off to a great start.  If what I thought before the show is true, and Paul Rudd's turn as hosting would be the jumping-off point for this run of three great episodes leading up to Christmas, then I can't wait to see what kind of genius we have waiting for us in the coming weeks.

***B+***

View the full episode here:

If There Were a Remake: [POLICE ACADEMY]

Actually, there is currently another Police Academy being developed, but that has been the case for the last nine years. It has been written and re-written. It is supposedly some sort of sequel, so this remake is an original idea…I think. Anyway, I have been brainstorming and discussing this for weeks now, and I finally decided to write it down. I was a huge fan of this series as a kid, watching all of the original six movies over and over. This is not going to be anywhere near as in-depth as my The Deer Hunter remake article, but it should be fun. Check out my dream remake cast and crew:

WRITER/DIRECTOR

Original: Hugh Wilson (writer/director), Pat Proft (writer), Neal Israel (writer)

My Choice: Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg. This choice is not exactly a groundbreaking or original choice, but seeing how well the comedic pair has done slapstick humor during their past few movies (and how well directed This Is the End was), I think this would be absolutely brilliant. Even more than a fit in style, this is about the potential of casting the Apatow guys. There are a handful of flawless fits. Rogen and Goldberg would make this a hilarious hit if they were given the creative freedom.

Other Potential Choices: Paul Feig, Christopher Guest, Harold Ramis, Paul Weitz

 Fackler

Original: Bruce Mahler

My Choice: Jay Baruchel. Fackler is a lesser character, but he is always at the forefront when something goes horribly wrong. He inadvertently causes a riot in the streets that forms the entire basis for the second half of the movie. His form of humor is relatively deadpan, so a guy like Baruchel would be ideal because he wouldn’t overdo it.

 

George Martin

Original: Andrew Rubin

My Choice: James Franco. George Martin or Jorge Martín. Either way. He is the character who gets all the girls because of his phony Spanish accent and suave persona. James Franco would make this character hilarious, even though his presence might take some focus away from the other characters. We already know that he is ok appearing in drag, and that scene where he gets busted by Callahan would be gold.

Other Potential Choices: Eric Bana, Colin Farrell, Jason Segel, Channing Tatum

Commandant Lassard

Original: George Gaynes

My Choice: Fred Willard. This is the casting choice that seems most obvious to me. Willard has already played forms of this character in several different movies. Lassard is all about the goofy dimwitted humor. He is the head of the entire academy, but to listen to him talk or watch him obsess over his fish would imply that he has completely lost his mind and out of his element. Willard wears that character effortlessly and would create just as great of a commandant as Gaynes’s classic character.

Other Potential Choices: Jeff Goldblum, Steve Guttenberg, Richard Jenkins, Bill Murray

Hooks

Original: Marion Ramsey

My Choice: Mindy Kaling. This was a fairly obvious choice for me as well. Kaling has sort of burst onto the scene recently with The Mindy Project, but the first time many people got acquainted with her was with the Apatow crew in The 40 Year Old Virgin. She has that real dry humor, but if she tried to play the shy and awkward Hooks, she just might steal the show. I love the potential of this casting.

Jonesy

Original: Michael Winslow

My Choice: Lamorne Morris. Obviously, there is only one Michael Winslow and the role was written specifically for him. Morris, most known for New Girl and that Miller Lite commercial, at least could fit into the quirkiness and attitude of Jonesy. The sound effects and everything might just need to be piped in by Winslow himself, but that is not a big deal.

Hightower

Original: Bubba Smith

My Choice: Shaquille O’Neal. All that is required to play Hightower is being tall and intimidating. Shaq would easily be able to play that role, even though his previous acting ventures have not exactly been successful. I think he would have a blast in the role, and we would have just as much fun watching him flipping a car and working as a flourist.

Other Potential Choices: Craig Robinson, The Rock, Terrell Suggs

Callahan

Original: Leslie Easterbrook

My Choice: Jane Lynch. She essentially has played the part on Glee (from what I understand), except there is one obvious characteristic (well, technically two characteristics) of Callahan that Lynch doesn’t exactly fit. I think in terms of sheer badassness, Lynch is a flawless choice. Some of her scenes would be a bit awkward, but it would work.

 Other Potential Choices: Christina Hendricks, Leslie Mann, Sofia Vergara

Tackleberry

Original: David Graf

My Choice: Danny McBride. This would be the one casting choice that I would most want to see. After watching the original recently, I couldn’t help but think of McBride in that role, strapped with heavy guns and going crazy in the gun range. Picture his character in The Is the End as Tackleberry, with a bit of the Kenny Powers careless attitude. Perfect, right? Right. 

Thompson

Original: Kim Cattrall

My Choice: Elizabeth Banks. This is not a role that really requires much of the actor, but Banks needs a reunion with the Apatow crew. She has been great in her career playing the love interest, and even though she does a lot of serious movies now, she is still ridiculously funny and make the character a lot more memorable than Cattrall did.

Harris

Original: G.W. Bailey

My Choice: Steve Carell. This was a tough role to cast. Bailey has a voice that makes it pretty hard to imagine anyone playing the role he owned. Carell would be a riot as Harris, though. He fits the profile, acting much larger than he actually is. He has devious intentions, but he also needs to be able to play the helpless part at times. I would love to see the scenes where he has to yell and try to intimidate Shaq and McBride. It is not a perfect choice, but I would love it.

Mahoney

Original: Steve Guttenberg

My Choice #1: Mark Duplass. Mahoney is of course the key character in the first four films, so he needs to have that twinkle in his eye, as well as wear the innate laziness that gives him that normal guy charm. Basically, he is Duplass’s Pete character in The League. That is really all he needs to do to equal Guttenberg.

My Choice #2: Paul Rudd. This choice would be my top one if he were the right age. Like 10-15 years ago, Rudd would be obvious to play Mahoney. His characters in the Apatow movies, Mike in Friends, a bit of Role Models…basically all of his characters. Rudd is a total Mahoney. 

Bonus casting for sequels:

Will Ferrell as Mauser

Michael Cera as Proctor

Russell Brand as Zed

Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Sweetchuck

Jonah Hill as Nick Lassard

Tim Robbins as Mr. Mayor

So, thoughts/comments? Your casting/director choices? What other characters would you like to see come back in the remake? Let me know!