The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

I chose this Netflix original almost at random from my list. The description didn't exactly grab me, but it looked rather different from what else I'd seen lately. At worst, it would waste only 97 minutes.

Seattle ex-novelist Ben (Paul Rudd) registers as a caregiver and, despite inexperience, asks to look after Trevor (Craig Roberts), an 18-year-old from England with a single mom, Elsa (Jennifer Ehle), and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. After a period in which Trevor does little more than watch TV, Ben persuades Elsa to let the two men make the big production of driving to several odd sights Trevor has expressed interest in seeing. Along the way, they pick up young adult hitchhiker Dot (Selena Gomez), who finds instant mutual attraction in Trevor; and then "Peaches" (Megan Ferguson), a woman with a dead car who looks ready to give birth any day now.

Yeah, not the least predictable story I've seen this year, but it does make a point to defy a few cliches. Trevor has a runaway libido, a caustic sense of humor (often in the form of crying wolf), and general insensitivity that grates on Ben enough to eradicate his pity. No wonder Elsa can rarely keep caregivers employed long. At the same time, it's apparent that Ben didn't sign up out of sheer altruism, possibly seeking "redemption" in a way Trevor doesn't find dignifying.

Ben's backstory? He lost a young son in an accident of his own making, which makes Elsa worry that he sees Trevor as a replacement. Ben also feels unready to sign divorce papers from wife Janet (Julia Denton), years after she first asked, so he may be partly motivated by escapism. As low an opinion as I usually have of divorce, that's a real jerk move on his part. Good thing this is a story about growth.

Much of the fun is in seeing Ben and Trevor bounce off each other until they agree on something. Half of that consists of Ben talking Trevor into trying something new. And then there's the interplay between Trevor and Dot, somewhat tarnished by the understanding that she won't commit for the long term. In spite of the vulgarity and gallows gags, I found a modicum of amusement.

I won't say TFoC makes me want to try my hand at the profession, but it was a fine scenario to visit vicariously. That could be said of the movie in general.