Safety Not Guaranteed

Imagine this: It's late Sunday morning and you're lazily flipping through the classifieds, croissant in hand, when you spot the most peculiar ad. You read it over once, sipping from your ice coffee, a smirk playing across your lips at the absurdity of it, thinking it's nothing more than a clever joke. Then you read it again and it begins to dawn on you that this mysterious classified is 110% serious. It reads:

It's a variation of this ad that appeared in a magazine in 1997 which inspired the story line of director Colin Trevorrow's clever and comical 2012 indie film Safety Not Guaranteed. 

The film follows a team of magazine journalists working in Seattle who decide to do a little puff piece investigation on the ad's writer. Aubrey Plaza stars as the film's narrator and the intern who ends up being sent in undercover to befriend Kenneth (played by Mark Duplass), an eccentric weirdo who really does believe he can time travel.

Now, I have to be honest here - I watch Parks and Rec, I've seen Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and anyone else out there who's seen any of Plaza's work knows that she always plays the same role of a dark, broody teenager who has a monotone voice and a "damaged goods" backstory. Knowing this, I walked into this movie not expecting much change from her, but man was I wrong. Yes - Plaza did play a variation of her typical role, but for once I felt like she did it with such realism and sincerity that I couldn't help but to fall in love with her. Normally these broody teens lack any real depth and don't seem any emotions other than hatred and disinterest. In Safety Not Guaranteed Plaza plays a broody young adult, but she also shows other sides to a realistic personality such as her goofy laugh, easy smile, and even some vulnerability. Her role is really what makes the movie. Plaza, along with Duplass, make for an exciting duo that I was on the edge of my seat rooting for the whole time. 

(Also - I have a total crush on Jake Johnson and I think he's a fantastic actor. His role in this movie as the actual reporter on the story is no exception to his gleaming track record of making me swoon.)

There's really so much to love about this movie - the acting, the back and forth, the ridiculous story line, etc. etc. but I really think what makes it so wonderful is this sense of wonder it gives the audience. Not only does the crazy Kenneth manage to worm his way into our hearts, but he has us all wondering if time travel really is possible, if he really is crazy, and what our missions would be if we could go back and change something in our past. 

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys quirky, offbeat indie films.

Fun Side Notes: 

- Produced by the same people who did Little Miss Sunshine (Omg it totally shows) 

- Winner of Sundance Film Festival's Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award

Have you seen Safety Not Garunteed? Do you think Plaza gets type cast? Would Jake Johnson ever date someone ten years his junior?

As Always,

Jess