10 Best Sci-Fi Films People Who Hate Sci-Fi Should Watch
6. Safety Not Guaranteed
Time travel stories don't always have to be about time travel. Sometimes they are the vehicle moving the plot along. This movie shows that even just a pinch of science fiction can add so much to a story.
This film finds Aubrey Plaza's character, Darius Britt, working as a journalist's assistant looking for a new story. After presenting a classified ad asking for a partner in time travel to her boss, she leaves to interview Kenneth Calloway. Darius poses as an applicant for the mission, learning that Kenneth wants to go back in time to save his old girlfriend.
What separates this tale from other sci-fi narratives is that there is very little science fiction involved. It's not even clear there is any science at all.
The bulk of the film consists of romantic endeavors and of silly time travel prepping exercises. Whether or not the time machine works is not the point of the movie - it's the vehicle that lets Darius become a better person.