SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED (2012)

Let's begin by agreeing that there could be something appealing about the idea of a time travel movie that's also a quirky indie rom-com. Now, is this a good time travel movie? No. But is it a good indie rom-com? Also no.

Duplass brings some charisma to the table, and Aubrey Plaza's performance probably would have charmed me back in 2012 (in 2026, though, it reads a bit like an early warning about the limitations of her style). Regardless, both of them are hamstrung by a lazy script which squanders its promise at every turn: it is incurious about its own premise and disinterested in its own subplots (Jake Johnson and Jenica Bergere deserve better than to be heartlessly discarded in what feels like the middle of their arc); it squanders interesting narrative setups and fails to land good jokes; it avoids investing its characters with the weird details that might legitimate this thing as a cult classic (some of its surface elements bear a similarity to Grosse Pointe Blank and this film suffers immeasurably from the comparison). Some brisk pacing or visual flair or could have glossed these faults, but Colin Trevorrow's direction is lifeless and Benjamin Kasulke's cinematography is bland. Pass.

A ★★ review of Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

Let’s begin by agreeing that there could be something appealing about the idea of a time travel movie that’s also a quirky indie rom-com. Now, is this a good time travel movie? No. But is it a good indie rom-com? Also no. Duplass brings some charisma to the table, and Aubrey Plaza’s performance probably would have charmed me back in 2012 (in 2026, though, it reads a bit like an early warning about the limitations of her style). Regardless, both of them are hamstrung by a lazy script which squanders its promise at every turn: it is incurious about its

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