Safety Not Guaranteed

2012 • 85 minutes

About this movie

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 he's 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. 2012 Big Beach, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Ratings and reviews

Took a shot at this on a flight, and was pleasantly surprised. The plot is not complicated, but the characters are (each in their own way, as such is life). This gives the movie a nice balance of emotion/ comedy/ suspense and mainly which aspects we relate to and which we don't and therefore may find "quirky". Either way, there's no way I would have left that plane without knowing whether the device worked or not..

I think this movie ends up being a metaphor for real love - not the Disney happy ending type (not that I mind a good Disney movie;). Even the title "Safety Not Guaranteed," speaks to the real risk and vulnerability that is required - and which can feel so scary and "unsafe" in relationships. Also, the ending scene could be meant to illustrate how meaningful love and understanding has the power to change even how we see the past. A fun quirky movie - and maybe more. Worth a watch.

There is a certain trope of which I am even more tired than the sex-worker-with-a-heart-of-gold trope. That trope is that mental illness is funny, quirky, lovable or "crazy" (in an adventurous sort of way). *****SPOILER/******* The main character is a White male in his 40's. He lives out in the woods alone. He is willing to commit crimes in order to further his "goal". He likes guns and preparing for combat. He is extremely socially awkward. He has no real friends. He has memories of what happened in his personal history that don't jive with actual facts. He is highly intelligent in applied science.Instead of painting this character as a paranoid schizophrenic Ted Kazenski, or Timothy McVeigh or Adam Lanza type, the character is painted as a lovable, caring, "misunderstood" nice guy who, despite all the evidence is not actually crazy at all. *****/SPOILER***** . Well, I am not buying it. The female lead is no more believable. She underwent a life altering event in her teens. In her early 20's she is not engaged with life, detached. The movie's answer to how this young woman is going to get re-engaged with life is to have her fall in love with a crazy man. Gheesh.