Imagine this: it's 1997. You've just received your brand new issue of Backwoods Home Magazine. Glancing through the classified ads, you come across this little thing: “Wanted: Somebody 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. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before.” Could it be true? Could somebody have really unlocked the secrets of time travel? Dare you respond? Where would you be going that weapons are a must-have? What adventures could possibly await you, the intrepid explorer of time and space (as you now see yourself)??

Of course, the ad was just a joke (or was it?) and no one fell for it (or did they?). However, the ad, whose absurdity cannot fail to capture the imagination, became noticed and was the inspiration for an enduring meme, a short film, and now, a feature film.

Starting today, Village 8 Theater presents a limited run of the film Safety Not Guaranteed as the newest installation of the Louisville Exclusives series. The story tells of magazine writer Jeff Schwensen (Jake Johnson) who finds the above ad and proposes an investigation as the basis of a fun feature story. He takes two interns, Darius Britt (Aubrey Plaza) and Arnau (Karan Soni), and they set out to find the truth about the ad's origins.

Safety Not Guaranteed plays for a week at Village 8, ending its run next Thursday, July 12. Village 8 is located at 4014 Dutchmans Lane. Further theater information and showtimes can be found at the Village 8 website.

Image: Internet Movie Database