Safety Not Guaranteed, Plaza-rama Guaranteed

Every once in a while, Hollywood takes something from the internet and turns it into a mid-level silver screen embarrassment. Fortunately, Safety Not Guaranteed is not one of those movies.

For those unfamiliar with internet [ancient] history, the following ad was put into the classifieds in the mid 2000’s:

 

Often accompanied by a picture of a beautiful mulleted man.

Of course, this is exactly the kind of thing that the internet continues to eat up. When I first heard about Safety Not Guaranteed, then, I was obviously incredibly excited; I’ve always been of the opinion that sharing the pure beauty of the internet can only bring us all closer together. I couldn’t help but think, though, that the trailer for the movie was not targeted at quite the right audience. People who want to see low-to-mid budget indie romcoms? Definitely not the same people who inhabit[ed] YTMND, 4chan, and other [now desecrated] holy places. How was this movie going to get an audience into the theaters?

 

Aubrey Plaza was good enough reason for me.

Lotus-eating aside (I know that’s not a lotus), the trailer for the movie was clearly targeting that quirk-loving, anti-money, pro-nature crowd that I find increasingly irritating (and that I find myself increasingly joining). No amount of self-hate and moderate irritation was going to stop me from watching a movie in which I was actually interested, so I sprinted off to the theaters at the first opportunity. And I’m very glad to say that this movie was also not the kind that has an incredible trailer and does not deliver in theaters.

Safety Not Guaranteed was pretty much exactly the movie advertised, and it was outstanding. In a landscape still dotted with Matthew McConaughey romantic comedies and Michael Cera…awkward things…it’s refreshing to see literally anything else. In the post-McConaughey era, I can only hope that Safety Not Guaranteed will serve as a template for successful romantic comedies. At no point did the tension force itself on me, nor did the movie demand that I watch it with bright flashing lights or loud noises. I was pulled in by the characters in the movie, their interactions, and the fact that it felt like I was watching real people. The set wasn’t some glamorous place; it was Seattle first (which totally grabbed the attention of every hipster in the audience), and then Ocean Shores, Washington. The crew let the inherent beauty of small-town Washington speak for itself, and it was the right choice. The town has a life that couldn’t ever be replicated on a set.

Aside from Aubrey Plaza holding my attention regardless of what she actually said or did in the movie, Mark Duplass plays the other lead in the movie flawlessly. Mark’s character (Kenneth) is that kind of well-guarded crazy that you don’t notice until you actually get to talk to him, and he keeps himself protected from anything that could possibly harm him. Everyone else is just an intruder in his world unless they can prove otherwise, and the burden of proof is on the intruder. And true to the spirit of the movie (and its audience), Kenneth is also that kind of crazy-quirky-awesome that is every child’s/hipster’s dream.

 

Studies have shown that 100% of Jesse Tzeng’s aged 0-12 think this guy is a badass, contrasted with 0% of peers.

Jake Johnson and Karan Soni also play their parts admirably, although they are clearly not the star attraction of the show. Even if they are only tangentially included in the main plot (Karan is basically C-3PO), both are key to delivering the movie’s message. I don’t know exactly how many times Johnson drops some variant of “this is crazy,” but it is a fairly substantial number (maybe). That wasn’t a random choice of dialogue. One of the questions that is supposed to stay with you throughout the movie is, “is this guy crazy?”

But who is “this guy”? Is it Kenneth? Is it Jeff? Is it Darius? What does crazy mean? In the end, aren’t we all a little bit crazy? The little absurdities of life are just that: absurd. So how does one man trying to make sense of these absurdities make him any crazier than us? Isn’t it crazy that we just accept them? We sit our entire lives judging everyone else for their flaws; when do we address our own? We all have regrets; is it crazy to want to undo them?

Which bring us to the other question that hangs over the audience for the entire movie: what would you do with a second chance? This movie is ultimately about a guy who wants to go back in time, but it’s not immediately clear why he wants to go back. That curiosity in Kenneth is ultimately a fantastic driving force for Darius, Jeff, Arnau, the audience, and the entire plot of the movie. As our extended courtship of Darius/Kenneth grows longer into the movie, it makes our trust ultimately only deeper and more meaningful. It [intentionally] draws us to think about ourselves, our second chances, and lasers.

OK, maybe that was just me.

Ultimately, Aubrey Plaza was cast perfectly into the role of Darius, and that should say everything about the movie. If you’re a fan (like me), you’ll fall in love and never take your eyes away. Otherwise, don’t even bother coming to the theater. I’ll buy another ticket for myself.

Jerk.

-Jesse