Title: Safety Not Guaranteed
Directed by: Colin Trevorrow
Distributed by: FilmDistrict
Release Date: June 8, 2012 (Limited)
Rated: R
Synopsis: Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel. (via IMDB)
Brian’s Review: As a movie buff I get no more joy out of watching a film when it’s something I knew next to nothing about walking into the theatre, but that unfolds in tremendous style and substance on the screen. When I walk into great movies like The Avengers, Prometheus, and The Dark Knight Rises, I still pretty much know what to expect. But when I sat down to watch Safety Not Guaranteed, I had no idea what I was in for. All I knew about it was the general log line, and that it starred Mark Duplass, who has created some of the most intriguing independent films in the last few years. Let me tell you that I saw Safety Not Guaranteed in the best way possible. The less you know about this funny, entertaining, ultra charming flick the better!
The Duplass Brothers first came across my radar in 2009 when I saw the surprisingly scary Baghead and the painfully quirky Humpday. I loved both films and am always on the lookout for movies they’re involved with, even as only actors. Mark Duplass has turned into quite the prolific actor/writer/director, with at least half a dozen projects coming out this year alone. He’s not your typical leading man, but he’s very watchable and charismatic. In Safety Not Guaranteed, he plays a man who puts an ad in the classifieds that reads as follows:
Aubrey Plaza plays Darius, an intern at a Seattle magazine that sends her and two others to find the man who placed the ad and write an article about who he is and what he’s really trying to do. The film is very funny from beginning to end, but it also moves into surprisingly emotional territory, and the ending, expected and at the same time not, is hugely satisfying. It’s the kind of unpredictable indie movie that keeps surprising you, where you never really know where it’s going to go next. But the characters are so well-defined that after awhile it becomes a joy just to spend time with them. Plaza, who has played small parts in Funny People and Scott Pilgrim vs the World, holds her own as the movie’s heroine, and Jake Johnson and Karan Soni have their own terrific moments as her magazine comrades. Also funny in bit parts are Jeff Garlin and the forever under appreciated Mary Lynn Rajskub.
But the real star of Safety Not Guaranteed is Mark Duplass, who is fabulous as the eccentric loner who may or may not have the key to traveling back in time. He’s so endearing the film is worth watching just for his performance. Kudos go to newcomer writer Derek Connolly and director Colin Trevorrow for creating a truly unique indie comedy. Seek this one out. You won’t be disappointed!
