Safety Not Guaranteed

*** 1/2

Running time: 87 minutes

One doesn’t often get the chance to use the terms 'sweet,' 'character driven' and 'comedy' when describing a science fiction film. But in this charmer of a movie, the laughs are interwoven with a little suspense and more than a little romance to create an excellent escapist fantasy.

The storyline of Safety Not Guaranteed is simple: a Seattle-based journalist (Jake Johnson, so good on TV’s New Girl) and two fledgling interns (Aubrey Plaza from TV’s The Office and Karan Soni) venture beyond their base to investigate a strange classified ad: “Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. Safety not guaranteed.”

Each of the three has his own reasons for taking the job. The reporter wants to reconnect with an old girlfriend who lives in the area. Intern Soni is eager to add another notch to his resume, and Plaza actually wants to pursue the story. What none of them imagines is that their lives will all be changed by the experience of contacting the (possibly) crackpot time traveler (played by Mark Duplass, a major player in indie films and one of this picture’s producers).

The cast is a delight, especially Aubrey Plaza, whose transformation from put-upon victim to self-possessed heroine could well launch her into leading parts in mainstream studio films. Under the direction of Colin Trevorrow, with a screenplay by Derek Connolly (based on an online “meme” at ytmnd.com), Safety Not Guaranteed transcends the indie form and far surpasses the limitations of its budget to become one of the year’s most endearing and intriguing entertainments.

MPAA rating: R, including some sexual references