Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 46 Ratings

  • Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Jake M. Johnson, Jenica Bergere, Karan Soni, Mark Duplass
  • Summary: When an unusual classified ad inspires three cynical Seattle magazine employees to look for the story behind it, they discover a mysterious eccentric named Kenneth, a likable but paranoid supermarket clerk, who believes hešs solved the riddle of time travel and intends to depart again soon. Together, they embark on a hilarious, smart, and unexpectedly heartfelt journey that reveals how far believing can take you. (FilmDistrict) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 31
  2. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    Jun 14, 2012
    100
    It's equally endearing as a sweetly funny romance between two likable oddballs and as a low-tech time-travel thriller, and has something profound to say about making the most of the present.
  2. Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    Jun 13, 2012
    88
    Safety Not Guaranteed not only has dialogue that's about something, but characters who have some depth and dimension.
  3. Reviewed by: Drew Hunt
    Jun 14, 2012
    60
    Where the narrative and characterization work, the visuals are lacking. Director Colin Trevorrow's digital cinematography occasionally resembles a YouTube video in mid-buffer, making the gorgeous and picturesque setting of the Pacific Northwest coastline appear bland and texture-less.

See all 31 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 17
  2. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a wonderful little quirky film. At no time during the film was I ever bored. Aubrey Plaza (sort of reprising her role from Parks and Recreation) was marvelous and made the film for me. The plot (inspired by a real life ad that appeared in a magazine) unfolds slowly and surprisingly, unlike so many other independent films, actually has an ending! Expand
  2. I really enjoyed Safety Not Guaranteed, and it was mostly because Aubrey Plaza is very enjoyable/interesting to watch. My crush on her aside, this movie was very well done, in that it didn't sell out and explain everything going on but gave some tidbits here and there to keep your imagination going. There are laughs throughout, some times where you might feel some tears lingering behind your eyes, and other times where you are confused on what to feel- but that's a good thing. Everything about this movie is interesting and well played by the cast and every one else involved with the film. Definitely recommend anyone in their late teens and older to go check this out. Expand
  3. Safety Not Guaranteed starts off like a film with promise. Remember how you felt when you first watched Little Miss Sunshine? Yeah, it starts off like that. But it doesn't take much longer than twenty or thirty minutes for Aubrey Plaza's one dimensional, too-cool-to-be-here attitude to completely remove the viewer from any dedication to her character. It's all the "you're stupid" blank stares you've come to love from her character in Parks and Rec...only for way longer. The same goes for Jake Johnson, who makes you think he is going to be hilarious for the whole film until you realize he's really just the cliche alcoholic **** writer with a silly story arc of his own in the film that has literally no payoff or relevance to the overall plot. With that being said, Mark Duplass as the paranoid time traveler is just really fantastic. His character distracted me from Plaza and Johnson's super indie, first world problematics and gave me a reason to stay awake for the entire film. He even performs a beautiful song somewhere near the end. But then there's "the end." I've heard other critics give the ending of this movie a lot of praise. To be frank, I don't know why. It has a good ending the same way The Sopranos had a good ending. It just ends. So if you're looking for the heartfelt, dramatic comedy romp with a wild storyline and goosebumps-inducing ending...you're not going to get it. But I suppose if you have an hour and a half to spare, you can start this film up and enjoy Duplass being a stupidly good actor. Expand

See all 17 User Reviews

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