Thursday, July 5, 2012

Safety Not Guaranteed

A lonely, out-of-place intern at a small Seattle journal embarks on a journey to a small town with three of her coworkers in search of a story: to interview a man who has placed a personal ad seeking someone to time travel with him. While her roommates pursue ulterior endeavors, the young woman answers the ad and feigns interest in the paranoid eccentric, as she gradually develops feelings for him. "Safety Not Guaranteed" is a funny, delightful, and surprisingly well crafted feature film debut from director Colin Trevorrow that features warm performances and an engaging premise that builds from a "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" jump off point. Aubrey Plaza shines in the lead role, and brings humanity to the kind of jaded, sarcastic young person roles that have grown tiresome recently. Mark Duplass, appearing in his umpteenth film this year, hits the right notes as the kooky grocery store clerk who believes he may have discovered the secrets to time travel. There is also an excellent subplot involving Jake Johnson who seeks out an ex-flame (Jenica Bergere) and helps his other nerdy intern lose his virginity (Karan Soni). "Safety Not Guaranteed" is quite simply a fun film (we are even given a time travel apparatus that may rival the Delorean) that is given even more weight by its fine performances and high film quality.