By Megan Ruge Asst. living and arts editor
Hello movie enthusiasts, and happy fall semester. I am so happy to be back in my routine of sharing great films with you. This semester, I am taking my movie column in a new direction.
I will be sharing movies that are easily accessible and much more affordable for the everyday college student, including new additions and originals on Netflix, movies from places like the campus theater in Lewisburg and dollar movies from Redbox.
The first movie I would like to share with you this semester is called “The Fundamentals of Caring.” This film is a Netflix original that was released this year and is rated TV-MA for crude humor and language.
“The Fundamentals of Caring” tells the story of a man running from his upcoming divorce, who accepts a job as the care staff for a sarcastic young man with muscular dystrophy.
Both dealing with something difficult, they embark on a cross-country journey and meet people who change their lives forever.
“The Fundamentals of Caring” is a feel good movie about changing your destiny and allowing yourself to be open to new opportunities. Wait, isn’t that the theme for something else in our lives? Oh that’s right, college.
This is the perfect movie to share with friends or loved ones to kick off the fall semester and to get you into the life-changing semester mood.
The film sports an all star cast. Paul Rudd plays a man with no direction, and Craig Roberts is a lost disabled boy.
The film shares many themes across the board. These themes include, “people change people,” “create your own destiny” and “accept responsibility for your [insert cliché here].”
The “people change people” theme of the story comes in parts. It begins when the caregiver meets his charge; the bond formed between them is one that will aid each of them in the healing process from wounds that they carry.
The message is shown each time a new character is introduced to the pair. It comes when a young woman joins them on their journey.
“People change people” is shown again when they meet yet another traveler, a pregnant woman with a story of her own. It is shown when they meet a father who wants nothing more than to right his wrongs.
The theme of “create your own destiny” is introduced throughout the movie when each character shares pieces of their story or makes a decision that might change the path they have been following completely.
An example of this is the choice made by the caregiver and the charge to embark on their journey. Another example is the choice of the man to become a caregiver in the first place.
Each of these decisions drives the plot to where it ultimately resolves in a win for the characters involved.
The “accept responsibility for your [insert cliché here]” theme introduces itself in many places throughout the film, but it is a main theme in the resolution of the film.
In the end, we see the various characters accepting responsibility for many things.
These things include responsibility for their actions, like the main characters owning up to his struggle with his past. This also means responsibility to the people around us, like a girl to her father and a man to his charge.
There are many things we see the characters take responsibility for as the film resolves that will make them better.
This film is 97 minutes of pure enjoyment; there is never a dull moment. Every moment of the film is filled with an emotion of some sort.
This movie is good for get togethers. Watch it this weekend with a friend who has had a hard week. Invite your squad to watch it together, or even just to gather old friends.
This movie is for everyone and will not disappoint
Whether you are experiencing fear, happiness, sadness or excitement, every moment of the film keeps you involved and cultivated.
The humor is very well thought out and the film’s resolve will leave you wanting more. I give this film a grand five out of five stars.
