‘Turning off their phones was the dumbest idea on the planet.’
Save Yourselves! is a 2020 American science-fiction comedy film about a hipster couple who go to a cabin in the woods to chill out. Unfortunately, without access to their cell phones, they are unaware of an alien invasion unfolding.
Written and directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, the movie stars Sunita Mani, John Reynolds, Ben Sinclair and John Early.
Plot:
Jack (John Reynolds) and Su (Sunita Mani) are a hipster Brooklyn couple who, like many of their friends, find themselves dependent on technology and unable to put down their phones. Fearing their mindless scrolling may impact their connection with each other, they seize the chance to head to an isolated cabin in the woods, vowing to unplug from the outside world for a week.
Sheltered from texts and push notifications, they are blissfully unaware that the planet is under attack. As strange events unfold, the couple must figure out a way back to civilization; or what’s left of it…
Release:
Save Yourselves! premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020. It will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 6th 2020 by Bleecker Street. Buy via Amazon.com
Reviews:
“Mani and Reynolds have endearing chemistry together […] Filmmakers Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson have carefully calibrated the tone of the movie, and the two leads understand perfectly how to maximize it. They’re hilarious together, making Save Yourselves! a cheerful, pleasingly silly sci-fi rom-com.” The Aisle Seat
” …after Su and Jack are forced to deal with the end of the world themselves, that’s where things begin to fall apart narratively for me. Others might get different mileage from Fischer and Wilson’s efforts here, but I just think for a film that has a lot to say early on, it loses its voice when everything is said and done with Save Yourselves!, which is a real shame.” Daily Dead
“This has enough spunk and heart to spare […] It’s a creative, modern little comedy that shows improvement and evolution in this new era of better understanding and representing our relationship with all the advantages we have available in this day and age and the humor that comes from us having adapted to them.” Film Snob Reviews
” …Save Yourselves is hardly about the invading aliens at all; it’s about the endearing struggles Jack and Su – and the baby they manage to acquire in an unexpected manner – have in trying to get back to civilisation […] It certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste (definitely don’t go in expecting limb-ripping Xenomorphs or CGI-fuelled pew-pew space action), but as a cute little sci-fi comedy it achieves exactly what it sets out to do.” Horror News
“The movie doesn’t have a great imagination for sci-fi, but that’s where the acting comes in. Mani and Reynolds are an excellent on-screen couple that you want to spend time with, even if their dry humor or Millennial-surrogacy isn’t your style.” RogerEbert.com
“Too dark and you risk losing your audience. Too light and you still risk losing your audience. Fischer chose one to the detriment of the other without doing the hard work necessary to convince audiences that their ending was the only organic ending available. Still, Mani and Reynolds make for a charmingly believable pair of thirty-somethings facing major life decisions.” Screen Anarchy
“While I was hooked on every quip and exchange between Su and Jack, I wondered how the story could possibly end for them, as the chances for survival become more bleak as the story progresses. While the film plays with themes of technology and selfishness, nothing felt to overbearingly preachy or overwrought, due to the humor in the script and Mani’s and Reynolds’ delivery.” Slug Mag
“Aside from all the important stuff to take away from viewing the film, actor/comedian John Reynolds is leading material. Both Reynolds and Sunita Mani knew each other from the comedy scene so their relationship in the film doesn’t come off as feeling forced […] Save Yourselves! is the millennial survival sci-fi comedy that we never knew we needed.” Solzy at the Movies
“Despite a handful of brutal kills, the movie’s big heart means that the couple can’t actually die onscreen. The audience loves them too much, and so the final act, though mostly terrific, is forced to bunt. At least Save Yourselves! never retreats from its premise: Su and Jack are no heroes. But who is?” Variety
Choice dialogue:
Jack [John Reynolds]: “What is this hippy crap?”
Cast and characters:
Sunita Mani … Su
John Reynolds … Jack
Ben Sinclair … Raph
John Early … Blake
Jo Firestone … Desi
Gary Richardson … Chuck
Johanna Day … Judy
Zenobia Shroff … Su’s Mom (voice)
Amy Sedaris … Jack’s Mom
Stephen Koepfer … Desperate Man
Technical details:
93 minutes
