Safety Not Guaranteed

Well here’s a movie about time travel that does not involve any time travel, well… sort of. That statement might not be quite so confusing if you took the time out to watch the delightful Safety Not Guaranteed, directed by Colin Trevorrow. That’s right, before he took over dinosaurs in Jurassic World and power struggles in a galaxy far far away in Star Wars: Episode IX, Mr Trevorrow made this film which has way more soul than flash.

Very rarely does a film do a great job of blending sci-fi, relationships, fantasy and romance as Safety Not Guaranteed does. Jeff (Jake Johnson) a newspaper reporter comes across an ad in a newspaper asking for a companion to travel through time. After getting an approval from his editor, Jeff gets two interns, Darius (Aubrey Plaza) and Arnau (Karan Soni), to tag long to Ocean View and track down this seemingly insane person, all in hope of getting a great story. But surprisingly, the man who posted the ad is an extremely normal looking grocery store clerk called Kenneth (Mark Duplass).

After Jeff makes a bad first impression, it’s up to Darius to strike a chord with Kenneth by posing as a volunteer for the time travelling mission. With Jeff not interested in anything more than hooking up with an old sweetheart, Darius takes it upon herself to complete the story. That’s where a huge revelation dawns upon everyone. Kenneth might be a loner, he may be that quirky but vulnerable guy who lives in his parents’ house in the woods, but he is dead serious about his ad and traveling back in time.

The other thing you realize is that this isn’t one of those dialogue heavy indie flicks we are used to. A lot is said in the movie without too many words. The characters have depth and get us to care about them. Also, without giving anything away, this movie has one of the finest endings you may have seen in a long time.

After a recent binge watch of Parks and Recreation, I loved the fact that Aubrey Plaza doesn’t once again play the eye-rolling, sarcasm spewing girl we are used to. There’s a reason for her initial disinterested behavior and you learn to empathize with it. Jake Johnson does a great job of being the narcissistic reporter whom you eventually like. The movie is so good when it comes to character definitions that you end up caring for a typical Indian-American sidekick, Arnau, and cheer for his life-changing experiences.

But the performance you need to watch out for is Mark Duplass’. In the last few years, Duplass has emerged as one of the most engaging actors in movies like The One I Love and People Like Us. The character of Kenneth is something I would think is an extremely tough role to play, but Duplass pulls it off with elan.

Though the movie might start off slow, my suggestion to you is stick with it… the payoff is worth it.

Rating: 7/10