Palm Springs, the Andy Samberg (NBC’s Brooklyn 99, Saturday Night Live) and Cristin Milioti (The Wolf of Wall Street, It Had to Be You) led comedy, was exactly the movie we needed during the summer of 2020. In a year with very few comedies (Borat Subsequent Movie will likely be the most memorable), this was a fun, unique movie that I’m sure would have broken up a dreadful summer. The problem was that theaters were mostly closed when this movie was released.
With COVID-19 in full effect, movie theaters were mostly closed. Those that were open had few attendees willing to go into a theater still figuring out its safety and cleaning protocols. The movie grossed just $164,00 at the box office in its only weekend. Instead, with nearly no promotion, it was relegated to Hulu and relied on word of mouth to earn its viewers. A movie that would have been a fun escape to the theater to share some chuckles with friends was instead watched by people (often by themselves) who needed a good laugh during a time in their lives when joy and the thought of having a good time were diminished because of a growing pandemic.
I would have missed this movie entirely had it not sneaked into Richard Roeper’s End of Year Top 10. Though I was tentative, with all of the likely Oscar-nominated pictures yet to be seen, I decided to give it a watch. I did not see a preview and thought the movie would either be a bathroom-type humor movie that I associate with Sandberg and some of his Saturday Night Live characters or a less intelligent version of Spring Breakers. Based on its 94% critics and 88% audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes, I would have been happy with either type of movie. However, the first scene gives the impression that it could either resemble Wedding Crashers or My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Or maybe both. But debut director Max Barbakow’s chicanery tells us at the right time that Palm Springs will differ from these referenced movies. It was something better, more honest, engaging, thought-provoking, and heartfelt.
Palm Springs was a movie that felt like a combination of Groundhog Day, 50 First Dates, and Celeste and Jesse Forever. The first two make sense. The third is because it is also a movie starring Sandberg that revolves around a complex, sometimes cheerful, sometimes somber relationship. Undoubtedly, you’ll think of Groundhog Day, a film we’ve all seen. Nyles (Samberg) is stuck in a time loop, though we only know it once we are 20-25 minutes into the film. A group of guests has gathered for the wedding of Tala (Camilla Mendes) and Abe (Tyler Hoechlin). Tala is Misty’s best friend (Meredith Hagner – HBO’s Search Party). Sarah (Milioti) is Tala’s sister. Character actor Peter Gallagher (While You Were Sleeping, American Beauty) plays Howard, the father of Tala and Sarah. Those are our major players, in addition to wedding guest J.K. Simmons (Whiplash, Juno), who I’ll mention later.
A glowing gave that Nyles walks into following a minor earthquake the day of the film sends him into a time loop where he is forced to repeat the same day repeatedly. He says that he’s been leaving this day for thousands of years. He has met Sarah many times, though she has no idea. Sometimes, he attempts to get to know her, but some days he doesn’t. Some days, they sleep together. Other times, they do not. On some days, he plays around with the audience and their emotions so that he can have a good time. On other days, he’s more content relaxing in the pool. Each day, he wears the same Hawaiian shirt and bright shorts. On the day of the wedding, he befriends Roy (Simmons). The two smoke cocaine together by the cave. Nyles unknowingly draws him to the cave, and before he can tell him to go back, Nyles gets sucked into the time loop as well. As revenge, some days, he’ll drive up from Irvine with the sole purpose of inflicting pain on Nyles. Of course, he is angry that Nyles drew him into his existence of repeating the same day over and over when he could have avoided this.
Such becomes the fate of Sarah, who also gets sucked into the time warp. She, of course, is just as upset that the life she knew is over. What’s cool, though, is that these three characters all know this, and their relationships, sometimes good and sometimes bad, advance each day, despite all those around them living the same day over and over but not knowing it as they are in the warp. Unlike Nyles, Sarah, and Roy, when they wake up, their day is over, even though the day repeats itself with all their same intentions. If it seems too weird or difficult to understand, I can assure you that it’s not. As you would expect with any romantic comedy, our two leads are slowly drawn to each other, though Nyles’s feelings for Sarah have intensified over the years, whereas she is just getting to know him. Again, if it seems weird, it all comes together rewardingly.
The movie excels in so many areas. Its story is entertaining and imaginative, though it is inspired by Groundhog Day and 50 First Dates. The unique spin is that multiple characters experience the loop, which differs quite a bit from the movies mentioned above and many others that attempt this type of story. The three main characters (Samberg, Milioti, and Simmons) are incredibly likable, though very human and flawed, and ones for whom you cheer. The chemistry could be better, especially between Samberg and Milioti. Another area for improvement is the time-lapse. This story is supposed to repeat over many weeks or months (maybe many more), but it feels more like a series of days. The characters fall in love with each other, but it just doesn’t feel natural. It does feel forced by the time constraints of telling a story in 90 minutes. While I’m not too fond of stories that drag, this Palm Springs felt like it all happened a little too quickly for me. I needed more between Nyles and Sarah, especially near the film’s conclusion. Usually, factors like this would severely drop the movie’s score, but this film was so much fun that I could see past them.
Palm Springs is an original, entertaining, and surprisingly rich film. In a challenging year for film, a movie like this was needed and appreciated. Unfortunately, such a large audience couldn’t see it when it was released and may miss it entirely. There are still movies left to see, but I hope this movie can find a place in my Top 10 Movies of 2020. It deserves it, though I know others could deserve it more. Time will tell. I might not remember everything about this movie a decade from now, but I will remember how I felt watching it. With apologies to Schitt’s Creek, Palm Springs might be the year’s most carefree and enjoyable movie or television show. This is partially because of the unexpected joy it brought me and the hope that life can return to normalcy sooner rather than later and we can get more fun flicks like Palm Springs.
Character Development 9/10
Character Chemistry 7.5/10 (if I did have one complete, it was that Samberg and Milioti didn’t have the magnetic chemistry of a good romantic comedy…they were fine, but Milioti isn’t entirely on Samberg’s level from an acting standpoint, at least in terms of humor, just yet)
Acting 7.5/10
Screenplay 9.5/10
Directing 8.5/10 (there were times when I wish the editing was better…I also wish there was a little bit of fear in many of the end-of-day deaths experienced…especially when Nyles says that they do feel pain)
Cinematography 8.5/10
Sound 7.5/10 (this would have been great with a cool soundtrack of bits of different types of songs coming and going before, after, or between scenes)
Hook and Reel 10/10
Universal Relevance 9/10 (adding originality to this and the idea that I’m sure most of us fantasize about in some fashion from one time or another)
86.5%
Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie
- Back to the Future
- Groundhog Day
- Like Father Like Son
- About Time
- The Time Traveller’s Wife