55
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75The Film StageEd FranklThe Film StageEd FranklIt’s only frustrating that however funny Fundamentals is, the dynamic is something we’ve seen many times before.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattEntertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattCaring may be fundamental, but it never quite feels necessary.
- 70Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlAs in Ant-Man, there's lots of shopworn redemption-plotting to get through here, and a sense that the filmmakers find the kind of jobs actually available to Americans a little beneath someone as twinkly-cute as Paul Rudd. But — also like in Ant-Man — the pleasures of Rudd overpower the programmatic elements.
- 67The A.V. ClubKatie RifeThe A.V. ClubKatie RifeThe Fundamentals Of Caring is about as generic as indie dramedies come. (It even has ukulele on the soundtrack.) That doesn’t make it a bad movie—the cast all turn in convincing performances, and the dialogue is occasionally quite clever—but it doesn’t make it a memorable one either.
- 60VarietyGeoff BerkshireVarietyGeoff BerkshireSolid performances and some genuinely sharp humor elevate writer-director Rob Burnett’s second feature.
- 60The GuardianAndrew PulverThe GuardianAndrew PulverInevitably, perhaps, it pulls its punches, and soft-pedals on any authentic misery that its scenarios might evoke. But its essential amiability and decency comes through.
- 50RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoRogerEbert.comBrian TallericoThe only reason it’s not unbearably saccharine is that Paul Rudd, again, grounds a film in something that feels genuine. He’s never an actor that comes across forced, and he does his best to find the truth in Burnett’s overwritten script.
- 42ConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerIt’s true that few movies are this aw-shucks nice these days, and for a short while The Fundamentals of Caring finds ways of retaining that kindness without lapsing into platitudes.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinThe Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinThe Fundamentals of Caring cleaves so closely to the stereotypes of indie filmmaking, it’s as if it were created by some demonic cinematic algorithm.
- 40Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinThe Fundamentals of Caring is a strained, overly familiar tale of catharsis and redemption. Stars Paul Rudd and Craig Roberts work hard but are torpedoed by writer-director Rob Burnett’s wanting script (adapted from the novel by Jonathan Evison), thudding stabs at buoyancy and sluggish pacing.