Palm Springs (2020) Review

"It's one of those infinite time loop situations you might have heard about."
-Nyles




While at her sister's wedding, the maid of honor, Sarah (Cristin Milioti), and another guest, Nyles (Andy Samberg), wind up in a time loop reliving the wedding day over and over again.  Stuck with each other, Sarah focuses on finding a way out while trying not to fall for Nyles.


What Works:

Palm Springs is essentially the same movie as Groundhog Day and you know what?  That's okay.  I love the time loop plot.  I always find it interesting and Palm Springs has a blast with it and pokes fun at some of the tropes.  Is it the most original idea?  No, but it doesn't have to be.  The movie works regardless.

The cast is excellent across the board.  I'm a big Andy Samberg fan and this is some of his best work.  I found Nyles incredibly relatable, especially because he is a very flawed character.  Samberg breathes life into him in a very compelling way.

Cristin Milioti is also great.  Sarah is the more logical character and the lens of the audience.  She is thinking about ways out of the loop and coming to the conclusions the audience would.  It's nice to have a character like this in a time loop movie.  She's also very complex and, again, a flawed character.  She has great chemistry with Samberg and their dynamic is the best part of the film.

J. K. Simmons doesn't get a ton to do, but he shines when he shows up.  We get to see him act a bit crazy and even do coke with Samberg in a bathtub, but we also get a lot of character growth for him and a solid arc.

As a whole, Palm Springs manages to perfectly balance the humor and the heart of the story.  This is a very funny film, but it's not just jokes.  It really develops the characters in a interesting way and peels back their layers bit-by-bit.  


What Sucks:

I do wish the movie had gone a bit further in a few places.  It would have been fun to see some more of Sarah and Nyles' antics at the hotel and I would have liked to see Simmons' character have a bigger role and menace Nyles some more.


Verdict:

Palm Springs is a lot of fun, but also has a lot of heart.  The acting is terrific and the characters are super interesting.  I wish the film had a bit more in certain spots, but it's an excellent time loop film.

 9/10: Great 

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