Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will discontinue
publishing this website at the end of May (more...)
Search a Movie:
SAFETY NOT GUARANTEEDMovie Reviews
Drama comedy about an eccentric man who believes he can travel through time and three magazine reporters who want to cover his story. Cast:Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni, Jenica Bergere, Kristen Bell, Jeff Garlin, Mary Lynn RajskubDirector:Colin TrevorrowRelease Date:June 8, 2012DVD Release:October 30, 2012From:FilmDistrictRating:RLength:1 hr. 25 min.
OCTOBER 30, 2012
Safety Not Guaranteed, Very Good Reviews Key Cities
Safety Not Guaranteed played in key cities to very good reviews. • Claudia Puig wrote in USA Today, "...a fresh, funny, multilayered, character-driven story about hope, regret, overcoming fear and the redemption that comes from human connection." • And Kenneth Turan wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "As sweet as it is eccentric — and it is wildly eccentric..." More Reviews Below...
Safety Not Guaranteed Positive Reviews (39 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a funny, oddball comedy that cloaks itself in hipster cred but is really a softie romance... so jammed with quotable lines it won a Sundance Film Festival award."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 139 words, 05/31/12
Mary Pols, Time: VERY GOOD "...has all the hallmarks of a cult favorite: off-beat characters, a goofy premise and an emotional hook.... this little slip of a movie puts you under some kind of spell."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 689 words, 06/08/12
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a time-travel movie that knows you think time-travel movies are ridiculous, yet it has a romantic, admittedly Spielbergian streak that suggests anything is possible..."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 564 words, 06/07/12
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...there's a noble tradition in movies of folks who are gently off their rockers... it's too tidy by half, but it is also very sweetly told."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 150 words, 06/08/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "Sometimes a movie comes out of nowhere and wins you over. 'Safety Not Guaranteed' is that kind of unexpected gift... Aubrey Plaza is a flat-out enchantress."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 97 words, 06/08/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a fresh, funny, multilayered, character-driven story about hope, regret, overcoming fear and the redemption that comes from human connection."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 488 words, 06/15/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a more ambitious and touching movie than seems possible, given its starting point, which is this classified ad in an alternative newspaper..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 718 words, 06/15/12
Kat Murphy, MSN Movies: WEAK(cg) "Cocooned in so-hip-it-hurts smugness... perpetuates the sophomoric notion that deadpan quirk and snark are just cover for all that's really warm and cuddly..."(See all of Kat Murphy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 793 words, 06/04/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "The central story is a time-honored staple of low-budget motion pictures: two of society's cast-offs finding one another.... something everyone can relate to..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 753 words, 06/12/12
we have an app for when you're out and about
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...endearing... Casually realistic, with semi-improvised dialogue and low-tech production values, it is truthful without seeming portentous."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 707 words, 06/08/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...proof that money and fame have nothing on ingenuity and wit, 'Safety Not Guaranteed' is worth a million meaningless blockbusters."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 290 words, 06/08/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "As sweet as it is eccentric -- and it is wildly eccentric -- this is a warm movie in cynical disguise... it is wholly committed to all of its odd characters..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 06/08/12
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "The film started to endear itself to me with its sad, odd little detail.... truly affecting.... takes the risk of having feelings, and it's richer for it."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 395 words, 06/08/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...came through the Sundance Film Festival where it won the screenwriting award.... modest but skillful and heartfelt, spiced just so by Aubrey Plaza and company."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 379 words, 06/15/12
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine: VERY GOOD "Colin Trevorrow and writer Derek Connolly pull off a deceptively tough balancing act here.... a time-travel movie without anyone having to actually go back in time..."(See all of Bilge Ebiri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 546 words, 06/08/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a more ambitious and touching movie than seems possible, given its starting point, which is this classified ad in an alternative newspaper..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 718 words, 06/15/12
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...genuinely sweet.... A viewer's patience with some of the more rote stretches is rewarded in the film's final 15 minutes, when the plot takes a truly unexpected turn."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 576 words, 06/06/12
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Written with quick and clever dialogue by first-time feature screenwriter Derek Connolly... a long strange cinematic trip that reaches an unexpected conclusion."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 588 words, 06/15/12
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "Call me biased, but I'm quick to put out the welcome mat for any movie - good, bad or indifferent - that resists easy categorizing."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 696 words, 06/15/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...can't really compete with the headier, more thoughtful experiences of 'Another Earth' and 'Sound Of My Voice'.... [still,] it's pretty satisfying."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 163 words, 06/14/12
KEY CITIES (11 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...most vibrant and vital at its edges, in the way that the characters interact with each other while waiting for something to happen."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 564 words, 06/15/12
Gary Thompson, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...wins us over with inventive characters and storytelling that expose just how formulaic other comedies have become."(See all of Gary Thompson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 501 words, 06/15/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...confident, quick-witted... a giddy joy from start to finish... hums with a transporting rush of energy and enchantment. Satisfaction guaranteed."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 443 words, 06/15/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "...crazy in the best possible way, with the acting and the real heart overcoming the occasionally trying-too-hard indie quirks that might have lessened its impact."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 656 words, 06/15/12
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...pleasantly ramshackle... balanced uniquely between the crass and the sweet.... floats the notion that right now -- whenever that is -- might be the best moment of all."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 723 words, 06/15/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...exactly what independent films should be yet rarely are.... brisk and assured and never begs the audience's indulgence.... a fun and funny little movie..."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 469 words, 06/15/12
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...something entirely its own... an unexpected pleasure... it's a reminder that we all time-travel eventually into adulthood, sometimes on a winding path."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 291 words, 06/08/12
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "...clever but confused... with unconvincing behavior from all of its characters... a disappointing realization of a potentially fascinating idea."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 267 words, 06/08/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Plaza is a deadpan delight as Darius.... the movie is eccentric enough to get mistaken for an uplifting fantasy, but it's Plaza who belongs in the penthouse."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 221 words, 06/22/12
Adam Graham, Detroit News: MODERATE(cg) "...the actors do good work.... but 'Safety' can't sustain its own offbeat energy. By the end, even Aubrey Plaza would roll her eyes at it."(See all of Adam Graham's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 294 words, 06/22/12
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a spirited little movie... droll and hilarious, but there isn't a cheap laugh in it, and the ending is so perfect it sends you soaring."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 393 words, 06/22/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (8 Reviews)
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...genuinely sweet.... A viewer's patience with some of the more rote stretches is rewarded in the film's final 15 minutes, when the plot takes a truly unexpected turn."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 576 words, 06/06/12
Sam Adams, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "It's a tribute to Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass that they're able to make such slight material resonate at all, let alone with the poignancy they occasionally find."(See all of Sam Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 373 words, 06/07/12
Mike Ward, Pop Matters: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "If 'Safety' thwarts expectations, it hardly breaks new ground in doing so. Instead it amalgamates existing styles into a pleasing genre pastiche."(See all of Mike Ward's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,136 words, 06/15/12
Alison Willmore, Movieline: VERY GOOD(cg) "Screenwriter Derek Connolly wrote the role of Darius Britt with Aubrey Plaza in mind, and she provides a sardonic solidity to a story of sometimes scattershot whimsicality."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 849 words, 06/07/12
Jesse Cataldo, Slant: VERY GOOD(cg) "...surprisingly poignant... may not be a great comedy or a great drama, but its adept dabbling in both styles makes for a roundly enjoyable movie."(See all of Jesse Cataldo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 06/04/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...can't really compete with the headier, more thoughtful experiences of 'Another Earth' and 'Sound Of My Voice'.... [still,] it's pretty satisfying."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 163 words, 06/14/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...endearing... Casually realistic, with semi-improvised dialogue and low-tech production values, it is truthful without seeming portentous."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 707 words, 06/08/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "As sweet as it is eccentric -- and it is wildly eccentric -- this is a warm movie in cynical disguise... it is wholly committed to all of its odd characters..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 06/08/12
Dana Stevens, Slate: GOOD "...a slight, wistful comedy that, at least up to the ambitious but unsatisfying final scenes, combines sci-fi and rom-com to pleasing effect."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 689 words, 06/08/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...endearingly scrappy and romantic... serves up some nice soul-searching moments alongside a steady stream of laughs.... maintains a mercifully fast and funny rhythm..."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 509 words, 01/23/12
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "A big win for everyone involved... Colin Trevorrow handles the film's shifting tone easily... offers a perfect, open-ended resolution to the question that sets it in motion."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 438 words, 01/24/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "As sweet as it is eccentric -- and it is wildly eccentric -- this is a warm movie in cynical disguise... it is wholly committed to all of its odd characters..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 06/08/12
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...endearing... Casually realistic, with semi-improvised dialogue and low-tech production values, it is truthful without seeming portentous."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 707 words, 06/08/12
11.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Safety Not Guaranteed's reviews are separated by an average 11.0 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Safety Not Guaranteed (39 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Safety Not Guaranteed's reviews cover 78.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 19,129 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 490 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 40.1 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Safety Not Guaranteed's reviews on average broke 40.1 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Safety Not Guaranteed's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Safety Not Guaranteed (39 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
