RBR: Safety Not Guaranteed

Quirky is an understatement when it comes to Safety Not Guaranteed a small indie film about a trio of magazine workers going to investigate an odd ad in the personals from a man looking for a companion to time travel with him. The film's title comes from a line included in the ad. Aubrey Plaza from Parks and Recreation stars as one of the curious trio and quickly becomes fascinated with Kenneth (Mark Duplass), a man who is both odd and ernest in his belief of being able to go back in time. With a runtime of barely 80 minutes, the film is brief and yet still offers some fully developed characters. I was engaged by both the central story, as well as the subplots involving the other two magazine workers and was really curious as to how they would resolve this story. Unfortunately the ending is rather disappointing. They wanted a magical ending to this offbeat love story, but I feel they would have been better to opt for something more down to Earth. If a strong ending is important to you, you're best to skip this insignificant film. But if you enjoy being charmed and appreciate good performances, then you may find yourself seeing this as a small treasure. Rating: *** 1/2