Safety Not Guaranteed

Personal ads offer plenty of outlets for laughter, whether as a method of mocking the romantically desperate or examining the oddball nature of contemporary relationships.

That’s the same curiosity that fuels the main characters in Safety Not Guaranteed, a quirky yet heartfelt time-travel comedy with plenty of low-budget charm.

The ad in question comes from someone who claims to have unlocked the secret to time travel, and wants to find a companion for his maiden voyage in his supposed homemade time machine.

A cynical Seattle journalist (Jake M. Johnson) doesn’t believe it for a second, and sets out to find the author and also an old flame along the way. Along for the ride are interns Darius (Aubrey Plaza) and Arnau (Karan Soni).

Eventually they track down Kenneth (Mark Duplass), a reclusive and paranoid supermarket clerk who is completely serious about his request. After a couple of failed attempts to contact him conventionally, Darius responds to the ad and becomes an unexpected ally whose curiosity blossoms into her own belief in Kenneth’s quest.

The script by newcomer Derek Connolly was inspired by an actual personal ad that inspired the filmmakers to research its source. The screenplay is both edgy and sweet with an appealing batch of offbeat characters, even if some of the eccentricities feel forced and the plot becomes more predictable in the second half.

It’s easy to quibble with the film’s portrayal of modern journalists, which isn’t exactly realistic, and the fact that the story they’re chasing is hardly compelling by traditional journalistic standards.

Technically, the film is rough around the edges, although debut director Colin Trevorrow makes the most of its modest budget, especially in the ambitious final sequence.

Plaza (TV’s “Parks and Recreation”) is a potential rising star whose performance reflects a character with a genuine curiosity. She also develops an endearing chemistry with Duplass (Baghead), whose name has become ubiquitous this year both for his acting and directing exploits.

While the premise seems far-fetched, of course, the characters remain grounded in reality and the time-travel component becomes secondary. Overall it provides more smiles than big laughs, but that relationship-based approach is key to the film winning over the audience.

Rated R, 84 minutes.