Ronit J

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) Synopsis:

Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified advertisement seeking a companion for time travel.

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) Review:

After a hectic week of moving into a new apartment, my wife and I wanted to sit back and relax with a lighthearted comedy. Something like Palm Springs. Somehow, the algorithm recommended this one, which we saw was a sci-fi comedy. Alas, it turned out to be neither.

A long tease

The film opens with a generic montage establishing the protagonist, Darius (Aubrey Plaza). Honestly, the treatment felt like an April Ludgate fanfic, and Darius continued to feel like an alternate reality version of the Parks and Rec character.

The film gets its inciting incident when Jeff (Jake Johnson) proposes they write about Kenneth (Mark Duplass) and his advert in the newspaper that is seeking fellow adventurers to travel back in time with him. To be fair, the premise is really great. Unfortunately, the film that unfolds is anything but.

We spend way too long in character moments between Darius and Kenneth, with a parallel b-plot of Jeff trying to rekindle a teenage hookup. The film teases the sci-fi elements way too many times, with no delivery (except the ending, when it’s too damn late.) The comedy is quite juvenile and forced. In fact, the film plays out more like a rom-com than either a comedy or sci-fi.

The two plot points have some interesting parallels. Kenneth is trying to travel back in time, while Jeff is trying to relive his past. There was so much potential here… all wasted. Everything gets thrown out the window for that shocker twist, which would have been somewhat impactful if the film weren’t marketed as a sci-fi comedy in the first place.

A frustrating drag with nothing new being said

If you’re looking to find movies that show you how to come to terms with your past traumas, watch A Real Pain. Neither does Safety Not Guaranteed tell you to embrace your present, nor does it show you time travel and similarly awesome things. It just shows you a long April Ludgate romance fan fic, with the literal last scene dumping a sci-fi gimmick on you.

Jeff’s storyline was the only one that I kinda liked, but even that gets abandoned after a juvenile falling out. The emotional turmoil in Jeff’s story, despite being generic, holds some depth. Sadly, that same is pointedly missing in Darius and Kenneth’s story, which the filmmakers don’t seem to know what to do with. It’s a hodgepodge, undecided about whether to commit to the sci-fi bit, sceptic bit, or both.

To make all this worse, there’s very little cinematic value to the film. I’ve seen TV shows that were more cinematic and visually stunning.

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

So, did Kenneth really make a time machine? Yes.

Is Kenneth insane? We don’t know.

Did Darius and Kenneth travel back in time? I think so?

Why was Kenneth trying to travel back in time? Probably to keep his life from falling apart.

What was the point of Safety Not Guaranteed? Nothing.

The ending neither delivers a satisfying conclusion, nor answers any relevant questions. All it does is shock you with “oh look, the crazy guy was telling the truth about his time machine” gimmick. It’s incomplete, and renders the whole watch a waste of time.

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) worth the watch?

No.

In Conclusion:

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) is neither funny, nor fascinating. It’s a boring drag that was probably marketed as a sci-fi comedy because even as a rom-com it’s just mediocre.

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Have you seen Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)? What did you think about this movie? Let me know in the comments below, along with any film recommendations you’d like me to watch/review.

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