Director: Colin Trevorrow
Writer: Derek Connolly (Screenplay)
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni, Jeff Garin, Mark Duplass
Plot: Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Guaranteed to Please
Story: Safety Not Guaranteed starts with Darius (Plaza) a young woman who has always struggled to fit into her social situations. Darius is working as an intern at a New York magazine run by Bridget (Rajskub). Jeff (Johnson) decides for his next assignment to investigate an advert in the paper asking for someone to go time traveling with them. Jeff takes Darius and Arnau (Soni) on the assignment across country.
The three discover the man who has placed the advert Kenneth (Duplass) who works in the local grocery store and small house. Jeff’s attempt to get to know him backfires as he really has just returned to the town to try and hook up with an old fling. Darius has much better luck when Kenneth starts doing a background check on her before inviting her into his idea as he has a constant fear of being followed.
As Kenneth and Darius get to know each other we learn that both would like to go back and change things from their past. First the two have to get the final parts to make the mission possible. We continue to see Kenneth and Darius bond as the time to go time traveling gets closer but how real is his story anyway.
Safety Not Guaranteed does what you want to see in all indie films, it takes the charm of a romantic comedy and mixes in an element you would never imagine working, time travel. Granted this film isn’t anything to do with actual time travel it focus on the characters who believe things haven’t gone their way in life and not sitting back any longer. I really enjoy these types of films they show you don’t need to rely on easy comedy, they show that you can have a sci-fi element without going with a mad budget. This films shows how to bring together five very different characters to help each other come out of their shells and show their true colours and isn’t that what we all want to see in life? This film will be one story I will recommend to anyone because of the simple character development used through out. (8/10)
Actor Review
Aubrey Plaza: Darius is a young intern who has never really fitted in anywhere in here life but when she gets taken along for one of the stories she ends up having to be the one to get to know the man who believes he can travel through time. We see how Darius grows as a person the more she learns about Kenneth. Aubrey gives a great charming performance where you can feel that she is an outsider. (8/10)
Jake Johnson: Jeff is the lead reporter on the story who has used this trip to try and hook up with and old high school girlfriend. He pushes Darius into continuing the story after he makes an unprofessional approach to learning about the story. Jake gives us a performance where he starts off as the unlikeable character but soon he is just as vulnerable as the rest. (7/10)
Mark Duplass: Kenneth is the man who claims to be able to travel back in time, he placed the advert to find someone he can trust to go back in time with and until he meets Darius and we learn about his motives. Mark gives us a committed performance as you believe every word his character speaks or at least that he believes he believes speaking the truth. (8/10)
Karan Soni: Arnau is the fellow intern that gets bought along on the investigation to find out the truth about the advert. Karan is the supporting character who easily shows how isolated Darius could be. (7/10)
Support Cast: Safety Not Guaranteed has a limited supporting cast that mainly are here to show what is true in the stories being told and how the characters believe things are currently going in their lives.
Director Review: Colin Trevorrow – Colin does a great job directing this indie gem I can only wonder what he will give us for Jurassic World (Which I should have seen by the time this is posted). (8/10)
Comedy: Safety Not Guaranteed manages to give us funny moments, granted no moments that will make you laugh out loud but we get good moments that will give us a chuckle or too which is all the film really needs. (8/10)
Romance: Safety Not Guaranteed plays the romantic angle without throwing in our face, we learn early on that all the characters are single and haven’t had much luck in love, as the film continues we see how they all get a chance for love but can secrets ruin everything? (8/10)
Settings: Safety Not Guaranteed keeps the most part of the setting in the small town which really gives us a feeling of normality to the strange character being introduced to us. (8/10)
Suggestion: Safety Not Guaranteed is one for all the indie fans out there to enjoy, it is one that I would most people to have heard of but maybe not all given a chance too. (Watch)
Best Part: Guessing what is real.
Worst Part: Not knowing where the adventure goes.
Funniest Scene: Stealing the lasers, it is an easy laugh but so effective.
Favourite Quote: Kenneth ‘The mission has been updated. I’m going back for you now. All right. Do you trust me? ’
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: It could, but it hope it never does.
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Box Office: $4 Million
Budget: $750,000
Runtime: 1 Hour 26 Minutes
Tagline: What would you change if you could go back?
Overall: A real treat that will leave you with a smile what more could you ask for in a film?
Rating 
