PALM SPRINGS REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Since the release of Groundhog Day in 1993, there have been a lot of films that were inspired by the time loop premise which focus on the main character reliving the same day repeatedly, including Doug Liman’s action packed sci-fi, Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, and comedy, Happy Death Day and its sequel, Happy Death Day 2U. Palm Springs is the latest film to explore this premise and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival at the beginning of last year where it was well received. It was released in the United States in July on digital streaming. The release proved to be timely as, following the outbreak of coronavirus, millions were forced to spend months at home, with each day feeling a repeat of the previous. Although Palm Springs was enjoyed by viewers in the US, it’s taken almost nine months for it to finally be released on the streaming service, Prime Video in the United Kingdom. 

Palm Springs focuses on Nyles (Andy Samberg) who is a wedding reveller stuck in a time loop. In fact, he’s been stuck in it for a very long time. So, when the bride’s sister and maid of honour, Sarah (Cristin Milioti), gets trapped in the same time loop, it looks like a romance could be on the cards. But tales of boy-meets-girl-then-meets-girl-again-then-meets-girl-again rarely do run smooth.

The timing of Palm Spring’s release couldn’t be more appropriate as the UK is currently coming out of its third lockdown. The last year has felt like a bit of a blur, with each day feeling the same. Although the stuck in a time loop premise has been used several times, Palm Springs feels fresh and, for the majority of its 90 minute runtime, is rarely anything less than thoroughly entertaining. At the beginning of Palm Springs, Nyles has been stuck in his time loop for a while and has accepted his situation. He spends the day having sex with the same woman, then lounging in the pool before attending the same wedding. He begins to make out with Sarah before being chased by a mysterious man where he escapes through a portal. Nyles wakes up in the same bed and continues his routine but is shocked to discover that Sarah has followed him and has become stuck in the same time loop as him. Understandably, she is shocked and, despite Nyles telling her it’s pointless, tries to escape through different ways, including staying awake and killing herself. Unsurprisingly, Sarah’s attempts to escape fail and she soon accepts her situation leading to her having fun with Nyles. Most of the entertainment of Palm Springs comes from watching Nyles and Sarah have fun together. Although the former has accepted his situation, the latter soon wants to escape and tries to find a way out. 

Prior to making Palm Springs, the writer, Andy Siara, knew that his script would be, inevitably, compared to Groundhog Day so he explores the stuck in a time loop in a different way by showing viewers what would happen if two people were stuck in the same day. Because the story includes several surprising twists and features several memorable and interesting characters, there’s hardly a dull moment to be found in Palm Springs. Although the majority of the film focuses on Nyles and Sarah, there’s a third person trapped in the time loop and that’s Roy (J. K. Simmons), who accidentally became stuck after he did drugs with Nyles . Since then, he blames Nyles for getting him trapped and frequently chases him as a way of seeking revenge. Roy could have easily come across as a one dimensional villain, however, thanks to Siara’s writing and Simmons’ performance, Roy is one of the most interesting characters as he’s disappointed that he’ll never be able to see his children grow up. It can be challenging to make an original film that is inspired by a premise that’s already been explored several times, however, with Palm Springs, Siara and director, Max Barbakow, they’ve successfully created one of the funniest films to be released in the last year. 

One of the posters for Palm Springs shows Nyles and Sarah relaxing in a pool. At first, the idea of spending the same day relaxing sounds ideal, however, the film shows how tiresome it can get for the characters who are repeating the same day. This is why Nyles tries to change his day by hooking up with different people, trying every drug and finding new ways to hijack the wedding. What surprised me the most about Palm Springs was how thought provoking I found it to be. Prior to watching it, I was expecting an enjoyable comedy, however, the story made me think about what I would do if I was stuck in a time loop. I think that I’d be shocked like Sarah, however, like Nyles, I would soon accept the situation and try to make the most of the day by having fun. 

Palm Springs benefits from the performances by Samberg and Milioti. Samberg is best known for appearing in the popular sitcom, Brooklyn Nine Nine, and on Saturday Night Live. In both shows, he has established himself as a witty comedian, making him the ideal choice to portray the laidback Nyles. He shares chemistry with Milioti who delivers a solid performance as Sarah.

Since premiering at the Sundance Film Festival last year, Palm Springs has been lauded by critics and was nominated at the Golden Globes earlier this year for Best Motion Picture Comedy with Samberg receiving a nomination for Best Leading Actor Comedy or Musical. It’s easy to understand why Palm Springs been received so well by so many as it’s a throughly entertaining comedy.

7/10