'Palm Springs' Review—An Entertaining Delight

Living the same day of your life over and over again sounds pretty bad. Having that happen in 2020 seems like an absolute nightmare.

Max Barbakow directs Palm Springs, a sci-fi romantic comedy about Nyles (Andy Samberg) and Sarah (Cristin Miloti), who are two people living the same day over and over at a Palm Springs wedding. As they are forced to be together in their predicament, they spark a romance.

It's tough to make a film about time loops these days without the product feeling suspiciously like Groundhog Day. The evidence of this lies in the fact that the asshole writing this review thought it would be smart to compare these two films even though a first-grader could see the similarity between them.

However, time loop films have managed to stay fresh by combining their formula with a different genre, with Edge of Tomorrow being a sci-fi action film and Happy Death Day being a slasher film. Palm Springs takes the romantic comedy route to enjoyable results.

From a story perspective, this film is acceptable. It doesn't take the rom-com formula in many different directions, and the character beats that Nyles and Sarah take are standard for characters in time loop films. Nonetheless, when these genres are combined, it creates a film that feels surprisingly fresh.

Samberg gives an excellent performance as Nyles. What was unique about Nyles is that by the beginning of the film, he had settled into his situation of living the same day over and over, and has grown to embrace it. Sarah is the newcomer, and their dynamic leads to some great comedy.

The scene-stealer of the film is Miloti, whose energy and charisma pops off the screen. Too often in movies and TV, we have dull female characters who fail to be funny or unique, and they either end up boring or over-the-top. However, Miloti's performance is perfect, as she is an immensely likable presence and matches Samberg's comedic wit.

J.K. Simmons has a role in the film as Roy, and while his conflict with Nyles is funny, it feels a bit unnecessary in the long run. The film also fails to be consistently amusing despite offering a few funny scenes. However, the film's jokes never fall flat, and it remains an entertaining delight throughout the entirety of its runtime.

While this is a romantic comedy, it does contain moments of dramatic weight. Sarah goes through an existential crisis (rightfully so) as she believes her actions have no purpose. She is also going through an emotional conflict, which makes her desire to get out of the time loop very reasonable.

Nyles wants to stay in the time loop because it is where he has grown most comfortable, and this sparks a conflict between the two leads, which feels very reasonable and earned. The chemistry between these characters is the spark that makes this film a fiery story of two people trapped in an adventure.

Fortunately, this film stands out as one of the better films of the genre in recent years. It's undoubtedly the best romance film of the year so far, and while it doesn't explore the characters and love as well as it could to maintain a generally lighthearted tone, it's an enjoyable film.

It's a charming rom-com with humor, heart, and charismatic performances, especially from Miloti. The film's finale is very emotional, and while Palm Springs does not reach its maximum potential for drama, it is a breath of fresh air to watch a fun movie about people stuck in a bad situation, as it something we can all relate to today.

Grade: ★★★★☆ [8/10, B+]