The Fundamentals of Caring

This film had been on my Netflix list for ages—probably since 2017, when it first came out. I decided to watch it last week, because I felt like writing up a movie review for my blog. So I read the blurb —

In this inspirational buddy comedy, a young shut-in and his caregiver take a road trip in search of landmarks, but end up finding hope and friendship.

—and confirmed that the lead actor, Craig Roberts, is not actually disabled.

Cripping up, and “inspirational” as word three of the blurb. Oh boy, I thought, I’m in for a rough inspiration-porny ride.

So I cracked my knuckles and prepared to write a scathing review…

And then didn’t. I loved the movie. Sure, it’s not perfect, has some missteps, but it was so much better than I expected!

Keep reading for my review of a film that, despite appearances, is not a rough inspiration-porny ride!

The Fundamentals of Caring is about Ben (Paul Rudd), a writer who retired after a tragedy struck his life. He takes a course to become a caregiver, and is hired to care full-time for Trevor (Craig Roberts), an eighteen-year-old young man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Trevor lives his entire life within the four walls of his home, leaving only to go to the park once a week. He views the world through television and by imagining the landmarks he sees on maps. One day, Ben convinces Trevor to go on a road trip (and his mother to let them). On the way, they meet and give rides to Dot (Selena Gomez), a twenty-one-year-old hitchhiker, and Peaches (Megan Ferguson), a pregnant young woman stranded when her car breaks down.

All in all, the movie is more about the road trip, the friendships that develop between the four characters, the adventures they live together, than it is about Trevor and his disability. Of course it is always present and often the topic of discussion, of jokes, of insults even (because this film shows disabled people as actual people and not as breakable porcelain dolls one must always address with the utmost care and respect), but never as the central focus for drama. This was a breath of fresh air: finally something that depicts a disabled character as a character first, with their disability coming second and not pivotal to the plot. Just as disability is not always pivotal in our real lives, even though it’s always there, this pesky little annoyance in the background.

One more thing to note: on the movie poster, the wheelchair is front and centre. They are not hiding that their story is about disability. You may recall two other movie reviews I wrote on this blog, where the posters barely hinted at the disabilities, even though they were literally what those movies were about. This feels good, this admission that disability is not something to be ashamed of, hidden, avoided. Maybe this is the first step towards normalizing disability in Hollywood. Step 2: hire actual disabled actors.

I’m in a f*cking wheelchair, okay? I could spew Shakespeare shit and a girl like that’s not gonna be interested in me.

From the first time he lays eyes on her, Trevor has a crush on Dot. If this was a romantic comedy, by the end of it, they’d be deeply in love, wheelchair be damned.

But it is not, and they finish the movie as friends. There is a date, and a kiss, but neither is granted out of pity, “the hot girl being nice to the poor wheelchair-bound boy.” It is simply friendship, and the wheelchair has nothing to do with it. Dot never leads Trevor on (she actually bursts out laughing when she realizes he’s asking her out, but not for any mean reason, just because Ben and Trevor are not being subtle at all).

I saw that story as, once again, showing disabled characters as human. They can have crushes and be terribly awkward in front of them, just like everybody else. Sometimes great love isn’t in the cards, but great friendship can be, and that’s just as beautiful.

And also, they can get rejected and not turn into incels.

… and ask you why you think it’s okay that somebody with disabilities isn’t allowed to see a giant cow like everyone else

One thing about the movie was a bit unbelievable: they only came upon one barrier to access. In a weeklong road trip. Different restaurants every day, different hotels every night. And yet they’ll have us believe they only encounter one single inaccessible building?

YEAH RIGHT! What kind of fantasy world are they living in?

At least it gives rise to an amusing scene. Ben and Trevor make a stop to see Rufus, the world’s biggest bovine … who is stored on the second floor, with no accessible access. In typical disabled person fashion, Trevor says it’s fine, but Ben makes a fuss, yells a whole bunch of funny accusations (“You’re in violation of … codes!”), and shames the owner into dragging Trevor and his power wheelchair to the second floor (pictured above).

Where they spend about thirty seconds, because there’s only so much you can look at with a stuffed cow.

In real life, of course, this would not be funny at all. A lack of accessibility is not an excuse to manhandle a disabled person and their devices. But this was a comedy so I giggled.

“Just because you’re in a wheelchair doesn’t mean your brain doesn’t work”

Only after having seen the movie did I learn it was based on a book, which itself was based on a real-life relationship between a disabled young man, Case Levenson, and his carer, Jonathan Evison. Oh, I thought, that’s why it wasn’t terrible! I don’t know how many disabled people were on the creation team (if any) for the movie itself, but knowing the story was, at its inception, based on an actual person and not some abled director’s fantasy of what disability is and looks like made it feel more realistic, organic, and generally better.

I also found this article, which contains all of the inspiration porn the movie itself miraculously avoided. I would like to bring your attention to these marvellous sentences:

And then he introduced Case as the “inspiration behind the film.” Every one of the 1,500 attending gave Case a standing ovation.

So they gave Case Levenson a standing ovation for … inspiring someone else. For living his life as a disabled person.

For existing.

See what I mean by “inspiration porn”? I doubt any of you able-bodied people would like to be congratulated for something you are, not something you do. So why would we? “Oh, you have curly hair, well done!” “You have very long legs, I’m so proud of you!” When Case finds a cure for COVID, then sure, applaud away. But being in awe of him because he exists is condescending (at least I would have found it so in his shoes).

In conclusion, the movie isn’t perfect, as no movies ever are. In particular, as Case’s mom said in the article linked above, Trevor in the movie does things Case physically can’t. No huge surprise there; that’s what happens when you crip up. I also had issues with the portrayal of Trevor as a shut-in while Case seems to have a nice social life, as well as a job. Not great for showing disabled people as regular functioning members of society.

But in general, I very much enjoyed this sweet film and encourage all of you to watch it on Netflix!