Safety Not Guaranteed

"Safet Not Guaranteed" is this hilarious time travelling movie that just makes you feel warm inside. It's a good mix of comedy and romance with a hint of sci-fi to keep you hooked and entertained. Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass make for an unusual yet amazing pair that are the heart & soul of the movie. Loved Karan Soni too! It keeps the story fairly simple, little twists & turns, little conflict towards the end and then the explosive finale. It has something for everyone and I highly recommend it!

This movie has an authentic vibe but is at the same time a very sweet movie, that honors the nonconformist and weird. A romantic comedy of sorts, but quite quirky and original, it is one indie gem. Not easily forgotten, great fun that will leave you uplifted and optimistic, a movie filled with authentic positive energy - truly recommended.

What a wonderfully, joyous, uplifting, quirky story about a man who puts an ad in a newspaper, in which he is searching for fellow humans who want to TIME TRAVEL. Safety NOT guaranteed. A newspaper magazine thinks this might be an interesting news article and sends 3 young reporters to check out this mysterious guy who placed the ad for the time travel. During researching this time travel guy, things quickly get out of control in a very amusing and quirky way.

The subject of time traveling does sound silly, but surprisingly enough this movie is really grounded and down to earth and although the mystery plot seems to be truly about some sort of time travel, the true heart of this movie is to be found in longing and reliving memories of love, that once were. Still sounding too vague to get an idea what this movie is about? Well then, just imagine a quirky love story mixed in with a mystery plot, that about covers this movie in a nutshell.

Very sweet and lovely and quirky and original. Great acting performances by Aubrey Plaza (those eyes!) and Mark Duplass. Terrific music score as well. Just one of those movies that really put a lovely, joyous uplifting, surprised feeling in my head that stayed there well beyond the end credits... For all ages to be enjoyed...

Very slow, but its worth it. Great ending, but the last words of the ending could have been better. These two things helped bring the film down a couple notches. Plus it also didn't stay true to the ad in the paper, which had inspired this story-line. Add in a small plot hole near the end, and a 9 of 10 movie becomes a 7 of 10. But they can be forgiven for these small sins. You've got to give credit to the producers who made this on a 4 thousand dollar budget, and made 4 million out of it. Who am I to nit-pick that kind of success? It's these kind of shoestring budget movies, few as they are in this quality, that makes Hollywood look like an idiots playground. Even with its problems, its well worth the watch, based upon the total package of being a sci-fi love story that works. This came out in 2012, near the same time as "The Adjustment Bureau" film. Sadly, these two didn't start a trend. Like all good films, it makes you think, after the final credits roll. I myself have always said, that regrets are for people with time machines. After all, we were who we were back then. But I'm also a sucker for a good film, or even just a good love story, that tries to answer those regrets.

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Grocery clerk Kenneth (Mark Duplass) places an ad in a local paper asking for someone to go with him as he time travels. He says they'll be paid once they return but safety isn't guaranteed as he's only done this once before. A magazine writer (Jake Johnson) hears about the story and takes a long a couple interns, one named Darius (Aubrey Plaza), quickly gets caught up with the time traveler as she applies for the job without him knowing that she's actually on a job. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED is a pretty strange film to classify because it's part comedy and there are certainly some very light moments but the film also has a tremendous heart, which lets the characters actually be characters and this leads to some pretty dramatic moments. I guess the best way to classify this film is just by calling it life because it pretty much has a little bit of everything in it. What I found so good about the picture is simply how cute and charming it actually is. The reporters go into this story expecting to find a crazy man because we all know that time travel can't happen. What works so well with the film is the fact that you makes you believe that these type of things are possible and you really get caught up with all the characters and their situations. By the time the movie is over, and I won't spoil the ending, you're leaving the theater with a smile on your face no matter what your brain might tell you afterwards. Duplass and Plaza are simply perfect together as both of them bring the weirdness and loneliness out of their characters but they also have such a warm and wonderful chemistry that you can't help but fall for both of them. I also thought Johnson was extremely good in his supporting role as is Karan Soni as the other intern. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED is really a magical little gem that is a breath of fresh air if you're wanting to get away from the loud blockbusters of the summer.