Safety not Guaranteed 3/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli
The classified ad reads: “WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You’ll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before. “
To be clear, Safety Not Guaranteed is not a science fiction movie. This is not about jumping into a time machine and popping into the future or the past. Viewers interested in that can watch Doctor Who. Instead, this is an indie romantic comedy with a kernel of mystery at its core. The questions viewers will ask, and which first time feature director Colin Trevorrow ultimately answers, is whether the time machine is real and whether the guy placing the ad is a nutcase or a visionary. (Some might argue that the revelation is ambiguous, but it seems pretty clear-cut to me.) The central story, however, is a time-honored staple of low-budget motion pictures: two of society’s cast-offs finding one another.
Watch the trailer…
