Now Available: Safety Not Guaranteed

Safety Not Guaranteed

Directed by Colin Trevorrow

Starring Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, and Jake Johnson

Rated R (language, sexual references)     

     Safety Not Guaranteed is one of those indie dramedies that I tend to adore. Movies like Win Win, Submarine, The Squid and the Whale, and Juno all get to something more than the standard comedies do these days. I’ll admit, sometimes these movies suck (like most of Michael Cera’s resume and pretentiously “quirky” films like Gentleman Broncos), but Safety Not Guaranteed goes a little bit astray from the standard indie formula but adding a level of sci-fi quirk and a sincere, heartfelt sense of regret.

     The film follows Darius (Plaza), an oddly-named college intern whose love life is horrible and her pervasive sadness has only increased in the past ten year after he mother died. She works for a magazine that is tasked to track down Kenneth (Duplass), a 30-something recluse who believes he has built a time machine and wishes to find a partner to go back with him. What ensues is your standard love story, filled with secrets being kept, quests for booty by Darius’s co-workers (Johnson, Karan Soni), and a few twists and turns.

     Now, the setup here is pretty routine, but the level of chemistry between Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass is excellent. I love Plaza’s character, especially. She’s awkward, and her dialogue isn’t movie-ish. She fumbles through what she says, her eyes darting back and forth in stressful situations, unsure of herself. She acts the part of her character, and the sense of brokenness and longing for acceptance is understated yet intense. It doesn’t get in-your-face with the themes, but it’s still there, creeping up on you. It’s incredibly authentic. Even Jonhson’s character Jeff, a rotten womanizer, slowly becomes likable when he rekindles a long-lost love.

     The sci-fi elements of the film are a backdrop for most of the time until the end of the second act, and the third act is especially fun to watch. It follows a well-worn formula and path but does so to the highest possible effect, relying on emotional storytelling and human characters to keep everything interesting. It’s funny, too. I found myself laughing during many scenes that don’t even feature jokes- this is ultimately a lighthearted movie with heavier themes, and though I hate myself for throwing banal quote-whore phrases like “feel-good comedy of the year” out there, it almost fits. The last scene is fist-pump worthy.

     Is it unique? Hell yes. Is it totally original? Not really. It reminds me a lot of 2006’s “Special” starring Michael Rappaport, about a similarly possible “head case” looking for acceptance who believes he has superpowers. While that movie stays further into the genre niche than Safety not Guaranteed, which is a much more accessible film to fans of comedy and indie dramas, they are both neat little films that could work almost as companion pieces. Safety Not Guaranteed is probably the better of the two, and really appreciate the effort that was put into making a sincere, heartfelt film.

A-