"Safety Not Guaranteed" Review

"Safety Not Guaranteed"

Directed by Colin Trevorrow

Starring Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson, Mark Duplass, Karan Soni, Mary Lynn Rajskub

 

RATING

7/10

Let's talk about a little indie flick today. "Safety Not Guaranteed" was a small but ambitious film that came out in 2012, and after a solid run at the Sundance Film Festival, entered the hearts of mainstream audiences everywhere with its fantastical tale of loss, friendship, and time travel.

 

The film is about three employees, Darius, Jeff, and Arnau, who work for a magazine that delivers the latest news and trends. Their careers hang in the balance when they have to go out and find a new headline for an article, and one catches their attention: an advertisment in the newspaper about a man looking for a time travel partner to go back in time with him. They decide to travel across the country and meet this mysterious man, only to find out that they're way in over their heads.

 

What really makes "Safety Not Guaranteed" work is the great chemistry between the characters, especially Darius, played by the pug-faced Aubrey Plaza, and Kenneth, the enigmatic time traveller played brilliantly by Mark Duplass, who brings a youthful innocence to his character much needed in the douchebagery surrounding him. The supporting cast, which is essentially a clone of Abed from Community and that guy that was on that one show that everybody forgot about, are fine in being just figures in the background. I like that they attempted to give them a bit of meat and backstory, but ultimately you don't feel as much for them as Darius and Kenneth. It's a well-made indie-flick with a few neat twists, but this isn't a comedy or drama. It walks the line, but isn't really either. There's plenty of subtle references to time travel tripes in older movies that provide some insightfully funny and humble moments. If I could describe this film in one word, it would be "cute". It's a small story with a big concept that never fully pays off, and that's one of the few gripes I had.

 

The story sucks you into believing that time travel is simply a figment of Kenneth's imagination and you actually start to believe it's a simple drama where Kenneth is psychologically disturbed (Mark Duplass is the standout performance and does wonders playing the determined and crazy time travelling loon). And yeah, that would've made for a much compelling film. But then the ending hits, and all the suspended disbelief you had comes ingloriously crashing down on top of you. To not spoil anything, I was very disappointed that the film reverted to practically a sci-fi flick. It was all very convincing and very engaging until the last ten minutes happen, and whatever real emotions and connections you felt for the situations and characters that dragged you through the film is thrown away. In the immensely brilliant set-up for a psychological story of loss and mourning, and acceptance by society... well, that was all for nothing. Just the way I felt.

 

Overall, "Safety Not Guaranteed" is a cute little independent film with big hopes and even though it never quite reaches for them, it still captivates us with good performances, a neat premise and great chemistry between the characters. However, the ending tragically sacrifices everything "real-life" that it builds up for a moment of head-scratching and a bit of disappointment. I would say see it if you're a fan of heartfelt, sweet comedy drama's with a hint of odd science fiction that may make or break the film for you.