{2jtab: Movie Review}

Director Colin Trevorrow might have just redefined “harmless” with his directorial debut.  As far as romantic comedies go, Safety Not Guaranteed definitely has something to say about human companionship and being understood.  It feels a bit too small, though, to resonate beyond its brief 85-minute running time.  While thin and definitely padded, Safety Not Guaranteed manages to turn enough heads to draw attention to its rom-com meets science fiction maneuverings.  That’s pretty good for a movie that drew its inspiration from a personal ad in a newspaper.

The screenplay, written by Derek Connolly, throws plausibility out the proverbial time-traveling window in detailing the events that bring a magazine intern named Darius (Aubrey Plaza from TV’s Parks and Recreation) into the paranoid world of ad-writer and time machine creator Kenneth (Mark Duplass).  Its tone is a pleasant one throughout and never - even when things get tight - attempts to be nothing more than a cool breeze.  You’ll have to pardon a huge misstep involving a prosthetic ear, though.

The story begins with a cynical writer, Jeff (Jake M. Johnson), dragging two of the magazine staff’s interns - Darius and Arnau (Karan Soni) - out of Seattle to uncover the truth behind a classified ad written by a time-travel adventurer out looking for a partner.  Jeff’s real reason for the sojourn is to bed and bag an old flame and, when Darius takes over all the interviewing responsibilities, she discovers there’s some truth to Kenneth’s free spirit.

As romance blossoms, Safety Not Guaranteed trades its quirky tone with an unrelated subplot that has Darius tracking down Kenneth’s old flame and interviewing her for the piece.  Only then is the truth about Kenneth revealed.  Soni, playing a Science major, is perhaps the odd man out in this film as, outside of maybe losing his virginity and providing a bit of comic relief, there’s little reason for his involvement in the journey.  Duplass presents his reality with a sweetness that is never poured on.  While he struggles with making the anger his character feels no come across as juvenile, Duplass does have a nice fragility about his performance.

The oddball charm of the picture rests entirely on the shoulders of Plaza who, quite simply, turns in a non-snarky performance that is easily the best part of the picture.  She’s had a number of comedic parts and nails her delivery every time.  Here, as a lead, Plaza punctuates every line with an uncompromised flair.  Her attitude is gentle and commanding.  You like the movie because she likes the movie.  You see good qualities in Kenneth because she does.  Plaza owns this picture.  Without her, the film doesn’t breathe.

Safety Not Guaranteed is not a perfect film.  The narrative flatlines far too soon to ever fully recover some of its audience.  Its desire to go back in time and do things over and maybe make them right is commendable but the quirk to pull it off is never strong enough to sustain its Charlie Kaufman-sized presentation.  This is a very small film and while it is true that, in a world of giants, small can be a good thing, the film is happiest as mere distraction only.

{2jtab: Film Details}

MPAA Rating: R for language including some sexual references.
Runtime: 86 mins.
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Writer: Derek Connolly
Cast: Aubrey Plaza; Basil Harris; Jake Johnson; Karan Soni; Mark Duplass
Genre: Comedy
Tagline: Safety Not Guaranteed
Memorable Movie Quote: "Alright give me the lesbian and the Indian and I got a story!"
Distributor: FilmDistrict
Official Site: www.safetynotguaranteedmovie.com
Release Date: June 8, 2012
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: October 30, 2012

Synopsis: Darius is a young intern at a Seattle-based magazine and jumps at the chance to investigate the author of a classified ad seeking someone to travel back in time with. Along with Jeff, the staff writer, and Arnau, a fellow intern, the three go on a road trip to a coastal town. While Jeff just wants to chase after his high school crush and Arnau wants some kind of life experience, Darius spends her time with Kenneth, a man who believes that he has built a time machine. The closer they become and the more they understand about each other, the less clear it becomes if Kenneth is just crazy or if he actually is going to successfully travel back in time.

{2jtab: Blu-ray Review}

Component Grades Movie Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray Experience

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - October 30, 2012
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 25GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD); UV digital copy
Region Encoding: A

Produced on less money than your typical Hollywood flick spends in a day, Safety Not Guaranteed doesn’t exactly sparkle on blu-ray.  Due to the budget, the 1080p transfer – which is sharp and detailed – tends to highlight the tricks in the filmmaking process that got this movie made so cheaply.  It’s not the transfer’s fault, mind you.  It’s the digital filmmaker’s problem.  Some scenes just look a little too clumsy.  Others are overwrought with noise and saturation levels that are uneven.  Black levels are a little soft at times and, at other times, dare to swallow the picture.  Colors are generally pleasing and skintones are nicely accurate in spite of the fluctuating problems that seem to mar the filmmaking.  The 5.1 DTS-HD master audio is fine, standing out mostly from the music it regularly provides and for the heightened volume of its climax.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

It’s the return of the Easter Egg!  Yes, that’s the biggest surprise from Sony’s release.  The supplementals are pretty unremarkable but they do collect comments from the cast and the director while sharing some behind-the-scenes production footage.  There’s even a look into the origin of the real classified ad that led to the film being made.  The Easter egg – featuring the cast talking about what era they would like to return to – can be accessed at the main menu by clicking on the advert while at the main menu.  A UV copy of the film is included, too.

• A Movie Making Mission (15 min)
• The Ad Behind the Movie (2 min)
• Easter Egg (2 min)

{2jtab: Trailer}

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