Skip to main content

Dome Pondering Movie Review: Safety Not Guaranteed

What is it about?

Co-workers answer the ad of a man looking for a partner in time travel, and instead end up taking risks they never thought their work trip would confront them with. 

Who is in it? 

Aubrey Plaza - Darius

Mark Duplass - Kenneth

Jake Johnson - Jeff

Karan Soni - Arnau

Favorite Scene: 

After locating him in the supermarket, Darius walks up to Kenneth and engages in an awkward conversation that entices him to choose her as a potential partner for his time travel. 

Favorite Quote: 

Darius: There's no sense in nonsense, especially when the heat's hot. 
---
Kenneth: Ever faced certain death? 
Darius: If it was so certain, I wouldn't be here. Would I? 

Review: 

Safety Not Guaranteed in an a nutshell is a big surprise. Upon reading the description on the back of the DVD and the general aura of the title, it seems like a movie that is silly, and funny. While SNG is outright funny indeed, as the film progresses, it moves from comedy, to intriguing, to a grand message of taking risks in life, love, and relationships. 

The time travel plot drives the movie as it is taken as a joke early on, before really morphing into a multitude of meanings about life, specifically the characters past, their present, and how we allow those things to affect our future. 

Aubrey Plaza, who really does a fine job in the role of Darius, however, the character really isn't much different from her role on NBC's Parks and Recreation. Mark Duplass is excellent in his role as the weird but emotional Kenneth, but Jake Johnson really carries the film as Jeff who knows that his life is a bit shallow because he never took real risks. 

Safety Not Guaranteed is a really good movie that has a flexibility of transforming through it's short 86 minutes. Which is another testament to it's amazing ability to be that great with such short running time. 

A highly recommended film. 

Grade: 3.25/5

Recently Read

Would You Rather: Questions 121-130

This edition of "Would You Rather" is credited to the NBA Would You Rather NBA Account on Instagram ( See Here ). Adding to the fun, this edition (and possibly future ones) are all NBA basketball questions.  121. Who would you rather have on your favorite NBA team - Giannis Antetokounpo or James Harden?  Seeing how I'm a lifelong suffering Knicks fan, the thought of any of these guys in blue and orange is hard to believe. With that said, I'm taking the Greek Freak for this reason - I enjoy watching him play a bit more. Nothing against Harden who is amazing as well, but at times, the ball sticks and that isn't always fun. Plus, I feel like we haven't yet seen a finished Giannis. 122. Would you rather have Giannis Antetokounpo with no driving ability or James Harden with no Three-Point shooting ability?  This is definitely a weird and unique one, but I'll take Harden. Giannis without his strength doesn't offer much. However, if Harden's d...

The Pondering 10 - Yankees All-Decade Team for 2010s

I thought I would stay away from the "all-decade" shenanigans, but I got suckered in after all. Around here, end of year rankings, reviews, and reflections rule, so why not compose a list that embodies it all? And why not put together a list around my beloved Yankees? Especially in a decade in which they DID NOT win the World Series. Gasp! With all of that said, please see below not only my list of the Yankees All-Decade Team (because everyone can filter by position), but also by importance and contribution throughout the decade.

Dome Pondering Movie Review: Good Posture (2019)

What is it about?  A young woman, stumped by laziness, unaccountability, and a lack of guidance, comes of age through an encounter with a closed-off writer.  Who is in it? Grace Van Patten - Lillian Emily Mortimer - Julia Price Favorite Scene: Julia runs into Nate and his new girlfriend.  Favorite Quote: "Lillian, desperate for affirmation, how deep does it go? Review: Good Posture was an impulse add to my "Watch List" on Amazon Prime, and I finally got around to watching.  The film is a mixed bag, ripe for a deep connection through so many opportunities, yet shallow in other areas of character development and plot. Don't get me wrong, Good Posture is a decent film; for the nerds, you'll get "Finding Forrester" vibes but not quite the same impact. Good Posture leaves it up to the imagination regarding the characters, and in some aspects, how they truly connect. There are a lot of subtleties that are unexplained (intentional or not) that do make you wond...