Review of Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) by Solid J — 06 Jun 2013

Safety not Guaranteed is honestly one of the most charming movies I've ever seen. The scenery with nature, the character interactions, the underlying latent messages about pain, life, lost love and new love. And lastly, the stark and harsh strokes of reality in the forms of misplaced violence, taking real risks and rejection. It's incredible. I cannot believe that such a good movie was made. It's something I can legitimately watch again and again and love it each time. It makes me want to make other intellectuals watch it so I can have an in depth discussion about it on the patio at 2 am in the morning. Wonderful Flick 10/10.

This movie was amazing. Hands down one of the most original and authentic movies I've seen in quite a while. From the scenery, to the setup shots, to the character interactions, to the story. Everything is on point and strong. The romance between Duplass and Plaza is captivating. You can actually FEEL it. I haven't felt this strongly about a movie in quite a while. Ignoring the fact that it manages to successfully mix several different genres into one, and even ignoring the ending which borders on the fantastic. The movie has an extreme charm and sense of wit about itself. It spurs you forwards seeing what will be at the climax (which we actually get pleasantly rewarded with), and just keeps you in your seat with spurts of the fantastical leveled out by strokes of realism and an almost a glaringly stark sense of fear at times. (I made a likenesses in my mind to Catfish, featuring similar plot pints with Safety in certain areas). (Travel a distance to see this person that is advertising themselves online. They meet the person, and they're not all they started out to be). Whereas Catfish was based in realism, Safety blends realism with the fantastical. At times I almost felt like grabbing my old psychology notes and scrolling through the DSM to see if I could correctly diagnose what Duplass was exhibiting, and at times I just went right along with it. The movie leaves you questioning your own reality and relationships. "What if I had a Time Machine? Could I go back in time and makes things right with the one I used to love...the one I used to share such a deep connection with?" It's a romantic comedy that actually has a story and that actually works. We get to see all sorts of love across the spectrum: new love being formed, old love trying to be reforged and denied, and even a small little coming of age moment for Karin Soni's character, and in a way Plaza's as well. Again, wonderful flick definitely recommend it. Would watch again. (Makes me want to get the DVD and add it to my physical library, and I don't usually do that... ever).