Parents' Guide to Save Yourselves!

This far-out comedy is a laugh blaster, with the humor coming from the reality of how two Brooklyn hipsters would survive in an apocalyptic situation. When Su and Jack, who have careers in the digital world, get the opportunity to take a week in the country, they make the conscious choice to leave their devices off and work on their relationship. Still, Su can't get a conversation started without relying on material she got from the internet, and Jack is self-conscious about his self-described "modern man" way of life: He doesn't know how to drive a stick, build anything, or fire a gun. When the alien invasion occurs, they're completely out of their element; as Su says, "I have no skills."

What's savagely clever is that Save Yourselves! isn't about the aliens; it's about Su and Jack's relationship. How they relate and talk to each other is snort-laughingly accurate. The aliens are just a device to show how they interact as a team when the stress and stakes are high. While their survival skills are soft, their communication skills and teamwork are strong. The film weakens when writer-directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson back themselves into a corner with the story and must address the end of the world. Instead of a third act, it's like a five-minute button. Abandoning the rules of screenwriting can be welcome, but in this case, it seems the writers spaced out.