BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
I wanted to see this movie all summer, but missed the boat every chance I had. I’m a huge fan of time travel movies, independent movies, and comedy. That’s what they were showing us in the really interesting trailer. The movie focuses on three magazine employees go on a trip to seek out and talk to a man who placed a classified ad looking for someone to time travel with him. The bold warning of the ad is “Safety Not Guaranteed”, hence the title. They go on their journey, find out a hidden motive of one of theirs for making the trip, and meet the man who made the ad. Is the dude for real about the time travel? What’s the truth? This is stuff I don’t want to spoil. This movie is not what you’d expect. It’s not as much one thing and it’s more of another thing. The end result is a really good movie. There is tons of heart, introspective discussions, and a lot to smile about. The lead seemed to be advertised as Aubrey Plaza. I’ve become a big fan of Aubrey Plaza over the past couple of years. She is great on “Parks and Rec” and was awesome in “Funny People” and “Mystery Men”. In this she’s amazing. She’s not the same “snarky” type of personality she is in other things. She’s that quirky-quiet weird girl who doesn’t quite fit in. Her boss, who is one of the other two on the trip, is played by Jake Johnson. He’s on “New Girl”, but I never saw him before watching this. He has a really good side story that is pretty relatable as well. I thought he did awesome in the role of the getting-older and freaking out about it, coming of age role. Meanwhile Karan Soni, the third on the trip, plays a young guy who is inexperienced in the world and is really shy. He handles the role with charm, innocence, and just the right amount of likeable awkwardness. Mark Duplass is really getting out there. He is starring in movies, writing them, making them, and is one of the stars of probably the most underrated comedy on television. I’ve always dug his work, but his performance as the guy who placed the ad is nothing short of awesome. His energy, dedication, and charisma made his troubled character that much easier to cheer on. He really steals the show here. The rest of the cast isn’t too shabby either. We get small spots from Jeff Garlin, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Kristen Bell. You can never complain about that. A great cast with great performances, a great script, and just a great independent movie. If this isn’t given some props come award season and at least a stepping stone in everyone’s career then there is no justice. If you enjoy good movies then you should see this. If you’re holding out for a “great” movie then you might as well see this too. A-
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