Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) [Movie Review]

When an ad pops in the newspaper calling for someone to help a person go back in time, a magazine writer, Jeff (Jake Johnson) thinks it would make for a good story. Enlisting two interns to help him; Darius (Aubrey Plaza) - the woman with a fairly dark past, and Arnau (Karan Soni) - the 22 year old awkward virgin. Jeff's motives for this project aren't really about the ad, though, he's trying to track down one of his girlfriends from high school. So, while he's working his magic on his ex, Darius steps up to the plate and talks to our time traveling friend, Kenneth (Mark Duplass). Kenneth puts Darius to the test, and she wins his trust. He is a very sneaky man, but has to be, since he is being watched. As the film progressing, so do the plot twists and the questions. By the end, we still don't get a solid answer whether or not Kenneth can time travel, But that just makes the ending that much better.

The film is less about time travel, but more about the idea of time travel. But more than that, it is about love. The love of Jeff longing to be with the girl he's been thinking about for years, the love that is created between Kenneth and Darius through her training, and the love Arnau finally gets to make when Jeff takes him out on the town. Though I think that Jeff's story could have been played out a bit better, and Arnau's could have played out a bit longer, they were all done very good.

Overall, the whole story was good. The parts for Jeff and Darius were written specifically for their respected actor, which really helped bring the film together, even if I don't really like Aubrey Plaza that much. I wouldn't say this is a must-see, but it is still very good. It's on Netflix Instant, so I would say to give it a shot, if you have it.

Rating: 8/10

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Wiki Page

Discussion topic: Would you go back in time if given the chance? If so, would you go back to try to change something, or just witness events?

Discussion topic, for those who have seen the movie: Do you think Kennith actually built a time machine, or do you think he was just crazy?