Here’s the thing about Safety Not Guaranteed: This film does not dawdle. It does not get hunkered down in details, or tangled up in non-stop layers of self-importance. It simply hums along in the most charming way possible, somehow managing to sneak in unique arcs, well-paced character development, and an unexpected love story along the way. This movie is Little Miss Sunshine, Eternal Sunshine, Juno and Memento all wrapped into one. It’s your indie sleeper hit of 2012, people … anchored by dame Aubrey Plaza, who happens to be the hottest thing on wheels these days.

Allow me to put it another way: You know that reviewer who feels compelled to remind readers that “this is the reason people go to see movies” every time he spies a flaming spaceship barreling its way across the screen? Yes? No? Well, either way, fuck that guy. Safety Not Guaranteed is the reason people go to see movies, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has interest in such things.

(Safety Not Guaranteed is now playing in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland, with a national rollout to follow. Click here for a list of regional release dates.)