*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.
This newspaper ad grabs the attention of a group of journalists. Jeff (Jake Johnson) and his interns Darius (Aubrey Plaza) and Arnau decide to write an article about whoever placed this wacky missive. They stake out a post office and get on the trail of Kenneth (Mark Duplass), a grocery clerk with delusions of scientific grandeur. Kenneth is very serious about time traveling, and he immediately sniffs out Jeff's fake attempt to join him. The quirky Darius has more luck earning Kenneth's trust, partly because she genuinely wants to travel back in time. While Darius and Kenneth train for “the mission,” Jeff pursues his own mission, which is to hook up with an old flame, who just happens to live in Kenneth's town.
“Safety Not Guaranteed” is the kind of film festival movie that translates really well to a general audience. This isn't oddball, arthouse fare; it's just a funny, human movie with a heart as big as a mountain. It's about people, with all their faults, trying to love themselves and find someone to love. Kenneth's ad is a very existentialist cri du coeur. Fact is, we are all time travelers, going forward in time. We get paid when the mission is done, we have to bring our own weapons, and most of us want someone to travel with us.
4 stars out of 5
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