Safety Not Guaranteed
is about a journalist and two interns researching a story about Kenneth
(Mark Duplass), an oddball man who put an ad in the local paper about
wanting a time traveling partner. One of the young interns, Darius, an
equally oddball girl (Aubrey Plaza), takes on the story as her own and
becomes the catalyst for the film's strange events.
Unlike many films in the "quirky indie" genre, Safety Not Guaranteed
never felt overdone or pretentious. The characters and dialogue are
authentic. These are real people speaking real words, which is sometimes
rare to come by. At one point in the film, Kenneth endearingly says
that he still believes there are purists in the world. This movie is as
much about that idea as it is about anything else, and we could all use a
little of that child-like optimism. Safety Not Guaranteed was undoubtedly written and directed with good intentions.
Good intentions aside, there are a few plot holes and unexamined back stories which simply felt like a distraction.
While not a science fiction film, there are science fiction aspects and a
bit more scientific explanation would have helped in suspending my
disbelief. I know the film isn't exactly about the time travel itself, but it all seemed a little too easy for my liking.
Also, the film's supporting characters had a lot going on, but not much
screen time. The focus is mostly placed on Darius and Kenneth, which
makes sense as they are the main characters, but there wasn't any need
to drag in so many other subplots. It unnecessarily took away from the
narrative.
This is director, Colin Trevorrow's, first
feature-length, theatrically released film. As I mentioned, the film
isn't perfect, but it is a winning debut. I can't wait to see what he
comes up with next. In any case, I predict that his style and
storytelling will only evolve over time. For me, he played it a little
too safe with the story and visuals. There were glimpses of greatness,
but I wish he had pushed some of his ideas a bit further. That being
said, his heart was in the right place and that's half the battle.
Audiences love a crowd-pleaser (myself included).
Acting-wise,
it was extremely well cast. Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass have
believable chemistry as their unlikely friendship begins to unfold.
Their performances are endearing, and by the end, I was pulling for both
of them. Despite having lackluster subplots, the supporting characters
are also well played, by Jake M. Johnson and Karan Soni, the journalist
and other intern, respectively. These two characters are mostly there
for comedic relief. However, each actor brings their own sensibilities
and charm to the script, leading to a few welcomed, awww-inducing
moments.
