SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED

Seattle Magazine sends to inters and a reposter to chase down a new story: Darius, sharp, curious, anti-social; Arnau, a shy, nerdy science major; and their boss, Jeff, a casually indifferent slacker. Their task is to track down the man behind a bizarre classified ad asking for a partner to time travel with (“bring your own weapons, safety not guaranteed”). They imagine him as a colorful loony and hope to get a good story. But Jeff loses interest and hooks up with a lost love from the past. Darius males contact with the quirky but impressive Kenneth, the supposed time-traveler, who accepts her as a partner. But things are not always what they seem. Everyone on the mission finds something that will change their lives, but not necessarily what they expected in this film that ends with an enthralling crescendo.

The idea for the story of Safety was actually generated by the same classified ad that is used in the film. Originally published in a review, someone poster it online where it became an Internet sensation. Derek Connally and Colin Trevorrow tracked down its author and got permission to use it in their film.
Safety Not Guaranteed is Colin Trevorrow‘s directorial debut; he was previously a screenwriter, and spent time learning to tell stories.