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

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