Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that Safety Not Guaranteed is a genre-crossing indie movie with elements of science fiction, comedy, romance, and drama. It has been a word-of-mouth success at film festivals and has the potential to become a long-running sleeper hit with high teen interest. Language is probably the biggest issue, with many (though not constant) uses of "f--k" and "s--t." Characters have sex and talk about sex, but nothing more than a kiss is actually shown. Characters also shoot guns at targets, but actual violence rarely gets worse than insults and arguing. One character seems to drink regularly, but his behavior is played for laughs. Two characters share a night of hard partying (one cigarette is shown) and wake up hung over.

Sexual Content

Two of the main male characters have sex with women off screen. The main female character shares a passionate kiss with a man. Frequent sexual banter and innuendo.

Violence

Some sports clashes during a few shots of a football game. Characters also argue and insult one another, and in one or two scenes they grow angry. Two main characters practice shooting guns at targets but never at people. (There's no blood.)

Language

Language includes many uses of words like "f--k," "s--t," "vagina," "retards," "laid," "a--holes," "jerk," and "freakin'."

Social Behavior

Safety Not Guaranteed rewards empathy and tolerance. It also raises the question of how we could possibly help others if we had the ability to travel back in time and right wrongs (i.e. regret).

Consumerism

Cans of Campbell's soup are shown at length during a key scene.

Drugs / Tobacco / Alcohol

One of the major characters (a man around 40) is seen drinking in several scenes. He's thrown out of a high school football game for drinking beer. He also drinks heavily (and smokes a cigarette) during a "party" sequence, mainly to kill the pain of a broken heart. Two characters wake up to hangovers.