See This Movie: 'Safety Not Guaranteed'

Posted Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 4:59 PM Central

by John Couture

So, it's a seemingly slow day in Hollywood and I'm sort of tired of simply just posting the latest and greatest trailer to show up online. To that end, I came up with an idea for a new series of stories that will try and convince you to go out and see a movie.

I think my mom would be proud that I'm finally putting my eight years of competitive debate skills to good use to try and sway you, my audience, to go out and see a movie. In this case, it's a movie that will debut in theaters next weekend called Safety Not Guaranteed, but I could just as easily next time try and convince you to go out and rent an obscure foreign film.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. You may recall that I discovered this little gem when its trailer dropped a few months ago. I was immediately taken by its quirkiness and the strong cast that made me think simultaneously of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Garden State, which is odd given that not a single cast member overlaps.

In case you have forgotten, here's the trailer:

Sure, it's opening up theatrically against Prometheus one of my most anticipated movies of the Summer, but that just means that I have my work cut out for me. In order to convince you to forgo the mindless action for two hours, I need to sell you on this little movie.

First, let me start with the cast. If you're a fan of New Girl (and really who isn't by now?), you'll immediately recognize Jake M. Johnson aka Nick in one of the lead roles as investigative journalist Jeff. Jake has been showing up in many interesting films lately, but I think this is the one that will finally push him over the edge in terms of star power.

Of course, that's a double-edged sword for Fox as it will most likely make him more marketable (read more expensive) to sign for future seasons of New Girl, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

The female lead is played by none other than indie darling Aubrey Plaza. Likewise, she has built up her fan base and repertoire on TV as part of the funny cast of Parks & Recreation. Here, it looks like she is given her first real opportunity to shine and from the looks of things, she knocks it out of the park.

Mark Duplass is an actor/producer that I must admit I'm not too familiar with. He has had a few indie breakout hits, but most of his fame comes from The League. He is definitely the crutch of the movie as it is his ad that inspires the reporters to track him down.

It's obvious from the clips that he's either not quite all there or a genius so far ahead of his time that he's mistook for an oddball. Whatever the case, the chemistry between he and Plaza is what will surely set this movie apart.

The most interesting thing about this movie however may be the fact that the film takes its inspiration from a real ad that appeared in a magazine in 1997. It gained a certain amount of Internet fame and was even featured on David Letterman's Late Night Show once upon a time.

I guess what resonates with me most though is the familiarity of the dialog and how much it really reminds me of Kevin Smith's writing. Well, without all of the cussing. In fact, there's even more than one Star Wars reference in the movie as evidenced by the scene above and this one.

Tell me that line about stormtroopers being blue-collared workers doesn't fit in the same universe as Imperial workers on the second death star being innocent contractors.

The movie was a breakout hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival and really deserves to find an audience. I couldn't agree more with director Colin Trevorrow words below about how all four of the characters are seemingly driven to this story because in a way they are each looking for their own time machine.

They are each flawed and they are all unsatisfied with their lives at the current moment. Naturally, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that whether the time machine works or not, the real time travel will occur in the growth of the characters.

I think it's just quirky enough that it will find an audience of its own in this crazily packed Summer. If I haven't sold you on this film yet, let me leave you with this one thought.

On June 10th, my wife and I will celebrate our first wedding anniversary and given that we have a 6 month old child (I'll let you complete the math at home), we don't get out of the house much anymore. For our anniversary, we are planning on some time to ourselves to see a movie and just enjoy being with each other.

I'm pretty sure that she assumes that I will take her to go see Prometheus or Men in Black 3 since I've talked incessantly about those movies, but I hope to surprise her by taking her to go see Safety Not Guaranteed.

And for those of you who point out that after reading this, it will no longer be a surprise to her, don't worry. I don't have any illusions that my wife reads my work. I mean I did mention that we have a six month old child, right?

So, how did I do? Did I sell you on seeing Safety Not Guaranteed?