It's both awesome and kind of sad that a movie would be made out of a classified ad. Granted, it's a funny made-up one, but still, are there no other ideas left? The ad in question you no doubt have seen on the interweb, or making the rounds at water coolers and office humour boards the past few years.
"Wanted: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED."
Funny ad? Definitely. Enough to spin an entire low-budget indie comedy around it? Surprisingly, yes. And that is in no small part thanks to the casting. Aubrey Plaza, coming in with all that Parks and Recreation cred, stars as the (surprise) cynical magazine intern who has a chance to investigate a possible story behind this silly classified.
When she finds the writer played by the capable Mark Duplass, he's definitely eccentric, but more "harmless" quirky than "bodies buried in the basement" creepy. And the two begin a back and forth that keeps the movie going without special effects or budget at all, really. It's quite a testament to Plaza's and Duplass's talents that this movie works on any level.
Definitely worth a watch and since this review was written the day before the U.S. election, I can only assume that by the time you read this, the Internet rumours are true and the election has triggered the long-awaited zombie apocalypse. Well, I, for one, welcome our new brain-eating overlords and hope they find time to check out this film at Highland Video, the best/last video store on Earth.
