Palm Springs is a 2020 Rom-com The film stars Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti and J.K. Simmons and is directed by Max Barbakow in his directorial debut with a screenplay by Andy Siara.
The Plot follows Nyles (Samberg) and Sarah (Milioti) two strangers who meet at Sarah’s sisters wedding and some how get caught up in a time loop that resets every time they fall asleep,die or enter a cave that caused the problem in the first place, forcing them to live the same 24 hours over and over and over with near to impossible odds of returning to a normal timeline.
Now i’ve been wanting to watch this movie for quite some time but never got around to doing it for one reason or another. So the longer I didn’t watch it, the more I was hoping it would be worth the wait, but i was sceptical as time loop movies have been done (ironically) over and over and over again and most of the time when you explain that sort of plot to someone they say “oh so it’s like groundhog day?” which yeah i suppose it is and the idea has been done so many times it can feel stale if it doesn’t do something different. Which believe me it’s hard to take an already existing popular concept and make it your own. However Palm Spring somehow manages to create a time loop esq movie with enough original ideas to let this movie stand on its own whilst still using common loop movie cliche’s in just the right amount.
The best thing about this movie is the performances, everyone in this movie nails the part they are given. Andy Samberg knocks it out of the park as Nyles in a role that lets him show off more of his comedic chops like his fans are used to seeing from his SNL days and Brooklyn Nine Nine and also some serious: dramatic acting chops that he’s not as known for.
Cristin Milioti as Sarah is also a standout from her first scene from getting a drink of ‘Not great wine’ you can tell with her flawless deadpan delivery,that this character is one of the most memorable of the film and the scenes she is in and the way she approaches them prove she is just as / if not funnier in this movie than the leading funny man Andy Samberg.
One of my favorite parts of the movie is of course J,K Simmons one of my favorite actors of all time steals every scene he is in and hands down the most memorable character in any movie he is in. In this movie without spoiling too much he balances anger and revenge with compassion and happiness and there is a scene with Samberg and Simmons in a garden that was just perfect.
The movie is cleverly written with classic time loops troupes with new ideas alike to make a unique and captivating story with memorable characters,and committing to great attention to detail by recreating everyday perfectly to give an actual impression that you are seeing the same thing over and over again with Nyles and Sarah’s actions and hijinks the only things causing difference.
The film is also filled with little details that make you think wait was that real? Or did they imagine it? All the way to the end with a throw away line from certain characters that makes you think that characters and objects could be more than they seem. That’s the beauty of this movie because of its subject matter of ‘Time’ there are no definitive answers. It leaves things hanging in plain sight that some people might not notice but for those who do , the film’s little details will make movie theorists go wild.
Final Score.
Title:Great
Cleverly written and funny, Palm Springs takes a familiar concept and make something unique filled with brilliant ideas and superb performances all around and this adds up to a movie that stand out from the other groundhog day-Esq genres.
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