It started as a joke. The Senior Editor of a magazine wrote a filler joke to take up unused classified space. It turned into a meme. It turned into the brilliant film, Safety Not Guaranteed.
Aubrey Plaza plays Darius, a young, apathetic intern at a magazine. Things start to look positive when Jeff (Jake Johnson) picks her and another young intern to accompany him to investigate the newspaper advertisement.
Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. P.O. Box 91 Ocean View, WA 99393. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before.
Plaza and Duplass in their roles as Darius and Ken.It doesn't take long until they eventually track down the man behind the advertisement, Ken, played by Mark Duplass. Ken is a very interesting character, and to a psychologist, would probably be accused of having multiple personalities. Throughout the film, he alleges that secret agents are watching him, that the government will come and lock him away, or worse, for knowing what he knows. After all, the man does openly state he has the ability to travel through time.
Duplass is flawless in his performance of a paranoid eccentric, and is so very convincing. He pours his heart into the role, and it is a shame he did not win more accolades for his performance in the film. Plaza, playing Darius did win several awards for the film, and while her acting throughout is excellent, in my opinion it does not outshine Duplass.
Safety Not Guaranteed is one of those rare movies where the magic of the story would not be possible if the acting did not back up the excellent script that underlies the film. The story takes us on a midnight raid to a high-tech facility, makes you laugh at cheesy dialogue that seems so natural to the characters delivering it, and remains witty throughout. It is a science fiction film that is also a romantic comedy, and while this sounds like an absurd concept, it works.
The visual style of the film is down to Earth, and the documentary style of production is exquisite. There's no incredible special effects that rely on telling the story, it is just good, honest film-making.
This is because all the characters are complete. They have flaws, they have strengths. They have desires, and they are driven to their destiny by a well-paced and exploratory script. It is a film that can, and should be watched multiple times. Each time I’ve watched it, I enjoy the plot more, and the performance of Duplass is beyond a doubt, exceptional in this film.
It is a movie that you should watch. All the while, Safety Not Guaranteed.