nickmesafilms Review of Safety Not Guaranteed

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) - A Long Review Will Not Be Guaranteed, Either!

[7/10 · 17 November 2012]

In a year filled with clever, small-budget independent gems, "Safety Not Guaranteed" takes the cake. Although this movie's subplot talks about the topic of time travel, there is nothing in this movie that comes close to science fiction. But instead, this is a smart real-life drama that has really sharp idea, even if it tries to be a lot better than it could have been, sadly. Aubrey Plaza, Jake M. Johnson, and Karan Soni play three magazine employees who are headed to interview the man who was rumored to post a suspicious ad on the newspaper, asking someone to become a companion in his latest time-travel assignment. But, do you think he's able to travel in time, or is it a joke. I think it's worth watching to find out, because the film is worth anyone's time. Starting with the cast, Aubrey Plaza actually delivered a pretty decent performance, even when she does pull a "Kristen Stewart" move at times. But, although I got a few chuckles from Jake M. Johnson, I honestly felt like he was over-acting a little bit as a newspaper writer who focuses less on the story, and more on a past lover of his. This storyline felt very unnecessary to the plot of this 86-minute movie, and it would have been way better off without it. But the "tour De force" performance of the film is brought by Mark Duplass as the suspected time traveler, who nails the role in every scene he's in. The film starts off on an interesting note, but the second act does drag and it gets a little weary, while the movie lingers on with one unnecessary plot-hole after the next. But, that's when the third act picks up, and it shows the true emotion within the film. I think it's better for everyone to view this as a human drama, rather than a sci-fi about time travel. Although it could have been a lot better film, this is truly an entertaining gem. "Safety Not Guaranteed", in my review, "expertly developed, but nothing close to greatness".