Let me start off by saying that I definitely underestimated how difficult doing a movie review is with nearly a week in between the time you saw the film and the time when you actually sit down to try and write it. What I'm basically saying is that this review might be garbage but just go watch the film anyway! Now that I've threatened you all, SPOILERS FOR SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED probably throughout this, but maybe not at the beginning (navigate that vaguery if you dare!).
So, anyway, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED stars Aubrey Plaza (PARKS AND REC) as Darius (not of Hootie fame), a dissatisfied college graduate living at home with her widowed father (Jeff Garlin) and working as an intern at a Seattle-based magazine. Sick of taking all sorts of shit from her employers and changing the toilet paper rolls in the bathrooms (sensing a theme?), she volunteers and is chosen to help one of the magazine's more blasé writers, Jeff Schwensen (Jake M. Johnson) investigate a newspaper classified ad that reads:
"Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. Safety not guaranteed."
I don't know about you, but he had me at BYOWeapons. So, yeah , Jeff and Darius head off, along with studious biology major Arnau (Karan Soni), to see if this guy (or equally insane? lady) is really as mental as he (or equally insane? she) seems, or if there's something behind it.
So after days of intense investigation (waiting for maybe an hour at the post office until the person checked his/her mail) Darius discovers that the guy (or equally insane...oh, wait) behind the letter is grocery store stock clerk (one of the more exciting clerk positions), Kenneth Calloway (Mark Duplass). And although Jeff's abrasive personality quickly alienates Calloway, Darius's offbeat, Zooey Deschanel except bearable charm and unaffected personality serve her well and Kenneth accepts her as his partner in time. As the film progresses, so does their relationship and Darius is forced to question whether or not they judged Kenneth too soon. Is there something more to him underneath that crazy, semi-mulleted, karate master exterior? Is he really being followed by the FBI? I mean, they do have trench coats. Not to mention his drawings look pretty legit.
SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED is a spirited little movie that takes the rom-com genre and various time travel tropes and turns them on their heads. Imbued with fantastic geek culture references (Stormtroopers are just blue collar workers!), the film is whimsical and really funny, but there aren't any cheap or easy jokes to be found.
As the star of the film, Aubrey Plaza really shines in her first starring role. She's smart and funny, but also has to show off some dramatic chutzpah which comes off beautiful and organic. The cast is all around pretty great (Mark Duplass plays a really good kook), each being given their own arcs that focus on each of the characters' personal battles with regret that all tie together rather nicely.
Like I said, it's not a big block buster sci-fi movie, and that's really to its credit. The dialogue is quick and effective and blends well with the cinematography to give the film an intimate feel which works well and gives weight to what the characters are going through. So many films that involve some sort of time travel try way too hard to make it a huge centerpiece and just end up with confusing logic that melts under scrutiny (MIB III is a recent example). SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED shows wonderfully how you can use time travel effectively without forcing it to do things it can't handle. Unfortunately, it's this idea of needing a big, showy, Hollywood set piece that is almost the film's undoing (what I like to call the "Michael Bay Effect" Patent Pending).
Up until the last 5 minutes, the film does an amazing job at using the time travel element sparingly as a way propel the film forward. And it works because the time travel isn't as important as the relationships between the characters, how they all deal with regret in their own, unique ways, and the romance that blossoms between Darius and Kenneth (boo! I want to go back and kill Hitler!). But the last five minutes nearly kills it all by forsaking these ideas in favor of a flashy, CGI sequence on what looks like one of those swamp airboats except all tricked-out. Oh, he actually wasn't crazy and they just went back in time! It looks okay, but it doesn't have the intended weight because it didn't matter if he was crazy or not. What mattered was Darius's acceptance of Kenneth regardless. By giving us a concrete answer, the film blows the chance to wrap up their relationship in a satisfying way and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth (it's toothpaste and orange juice, man).
All of my complaining aside, the film has its problems, but it really is intelligent and funny. The acting is on point, especially Aubrey Plaza who makes a legitimate case for future leading roles. The themes are interesting and the way the film uses time travel sans CGI BS (acronyms for everyone!) is really refreshing in a time polluted with gratuitously confusing sci-fi logistics. Some people may find it too quirky, maybe even too nerdy with its fairly esoteric references and soundtrack, but I thought it was fun and charming.
Plus it teaches a valuable lesson in how to steal secret government materials even if there's an office party going on. And who couldn't afford to be better at that?
