Film #35 - Safety Not Guaranteed

The somewhat limited marketing I’ve seen for Safety Not Guaranteed has touted fairly heavily that this is from the same producers that brought you Little Miss Sunshine. And you can see why. Although a completely different experience to LMS, Safety Not Guaranteed evinces a little of the same emotional response. It looks fairly straightforward from the outside but gradually gives up a rich inner life that culminates in a completely unexpected and totally uplifting climax that put a massive smile across my face.

I doubt Safety Not Guaranteed will enjoy the same success that LMS did though and part of it, I think, will come down to the marketing of it. It’s a tricky one to categorise in many ways. It feels like an indie comedy, has the mechanics of a romantic comedy, yet features a sci-fi element that should either be completely dismissed or is secretly underpinning the whole movie depending on what you think of its leading male character.

It also lacks a little of the star power that made people pay attention to LMS; though the casting certainly can’t be faulted here. In the main three roles of the film are three very well established television actors with Parks and Recreation’s Aubrey Plaza, The League’s Mark Duplass, and New Girl’s Jake Johnson. And in each instance the actors are playing against the type their small screen exploits may have lead you expect.

Full disclosure going in: I’m a massive fan of Aubrey Plaza and her schtick but have occasionally wondered how much range she has as an actress given that I’ve only ever seen her play sardonic young women who secretly want to kill you. Safety Not Guaranteed is (I believe) her first feature as a leading lady and I went in with a bit of apprehension that all the eye-rolling in the world wouldn’t be enough to sustain 90 minutes of footage.

The good news is that Plaza exhibits, if not range, then at least nuance as Darius, the leading character of SNG. The deadpan delivery is still out in force (the scene where she confronts Duplass’ Kenneth for the first time is an absolute gem) but it is much clearer in this outing that it is all a front for a vulnerable and lonely young woman who has long felt at odds with the world she lives in.

The plot of the movie has Darius, an intern at a Seattle-based magazine seconded to Jake Johnson’s slick journalist Jeff as they investigate an intriguing wanted ad seeking a partner for a time travelling journey where safety is not guaranteed. Along for the ride is fellow intern Arnau (played beautifully understatedly by Karan Soni) whose crippling shyness makes him an odd choice for a journalistic internship.

Arriving in a small Northwest American town, they trio track down Kenneth Carraway (Mark Duplass), the writer of the advertisement who, to the cityfolk’s eyes at least, is clearly mentally disturbed. After Jeff’s aggressively charismatic attempts to secure an interview fail to win over the guarded Kenneth, Darius is chosen to make a second attempt and, from there an unexpected partnership (and the movie) takes off.

Ultimately, Safety Not Guaranteed is about some fairly well worn cinematic themes – the conflict between cynicism and innocence (both Darius and Kenneth are seeking a deeper life beyond the surface of what they’re offered in life), the sharp pain of regret and the fear of a wasted life, and the unexpected way that a fraction of hope can transform your whole world.

As I say, none of these themes are particularly new but the film handles them deftly, playing from one to another at just the right time to stop any feeling cloying or preachy and even the minor characters get brought along for the ride. A major subplot if Jeff’s rekindling of a romance with his former high school sweetheart (a major part of him pitching his story to his editor was the chance to revisit her) and his discovery that his outwardly successful life may have been, he may have been secretly yearning for something fuller all along. That plays beautifully into his relationship with the inexperienced Arnau who needs to grasp life more fully himself. By constantly shifting focus among five characters in search of an antagonist, everyone’s life can get richer without feeling like an episode of Touched By An Angel.

Wisely, the film is coy about whether the damaged Kenneth really is capable of the time travel he claims be able to achieve and focuses on the dynamic between him and Darius. Both are defensive, insular characters who nonetheless crave connection and the slow blossoming of trust between them feels organic. Of course she’s lying to him about her intentions in typical romcom fashion but we get plenty of clues that he might be as crazy (and potentially dangerous) as she had believed before getting to know him.  And plenty of clues that he might just what he says he is after all. Sticking around to see which is true is part of the fun of it all.

I made a point of singling out Aubrey Plaza early on, but Mark Duplass (who also produces) also deserves a lot of credit for his aching portrayal of the damaged Kenneth. He’s everything you’d avoid in real life but impossible to dislike on the big screen. And for an actor that I’m more used to seeing play a douche bag on The League, it’s enough for me to want go through his back catalogue.

All in all, Safety Not Guaranteed is not the best film you’ll ever see (its first act does take its time and not all jokes hit their mark) but it’s certainly one of the better films I’ve seen this year and is an absolute charmer.

And any film that already has you hooked and then – BAM, Kristin Bell! – is definitely worth seeing.