Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Max Barbakow
Starring: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, Peter Gallagher, J. K.
Simmons, Meredith Hagner, Camila Mendes, Tyler Hoechlin
Released in the US on streaming service Hulu in summer 2020, director
Max Barbakow's rom-com Palm Springs instantly connected with audiences. How could a comedy about
finding yourself forced to live the same day endlessly not resonate with
an audience months into a global lockdown? Almost a year later it's
found its way to UK and Irish audiences through Amazon Prime Video, and
remarkably we're still stuck in lockdown.
It's easy to see why Palm Springs has been winning over
Stateside viewers since its release. Aside from its all too resonant
Groundhog Day structure, it's a light and breezy romp,
just the tonic for a world stuck in the doldrums. You would think the
time loop format would have run its course long ago, but in the past few
years it's given us movies as diverse as
Edge of Tomorrow,
Happy Death Day
and now Palm Springs, which returns the time loop to its rom-com roots.
Wisely, Barbakow and screenwriter Andy Siara dispense with
forcing us to sit through the usual opening act setup, as their
protagonist, Nyles (Andy Samberg), has already been living
through this scenario for an indefinite length of time, long enough that
he claims to no longer remember his life before getting trapped in the
loop. Luckily for Nyles, he's found himself stuck in a better day than
most. Every morning he wakes in a hotel room at the Palm Springs resort
where his girlfriend's best friend is set to be wed. But even such a
plush setting has long run its course for Nyles, who after disinterested
sex with his girlfriend every morning, spends his repetitive days
getting drunk by the pool.
One night during the post-wedding revelry, Nyles hits on the bride's
sister Sarah (Cristin Milioti), the black sheep of her family,
all cynicism and millennial snark. Our familiarity with these movies
makes us assume that this is a well-rehearsed seduction technique on
Nyles' part, but on this night it works, and Nyles and Sarah retreat to
the desert for some slap and tickle. They're rudely interrupted by the
arrival of a bow-wielding stranger who fires a couple of arrows into
Nyle, who crawls into a cave towards a mysterious red glow. Despite
Nyles' warnings, Sarah follows him into the cave, only to find herself
waking up on the very day she just lived through.
Once its premise is set in full motion, Palm Springs has
a lot of fun playing up the conceits of the time loop sub-genre. Nyles
stands by glibly as Sarah pulls off various vain attempts to escape her
predicament, all of which he's long ago tried himself. Initially Sarah
resents Nyles for getting her stuck, but as the two repeatedly spend the
same day in each other's company, coming up with various ways to relieve
the monotony, they soon begin to bond. But while Nyles grows comfortable
in his rut, now that he has someone to share it with, Sarah is still
desperate for a way to return to her old life.
Considering it's aping the format of a 30-year-old rom-com staple and
follows in the path of so many movies that have done likewise,
Palm Springs somehow manages to feel fresh throughout.
Having not one but two protagonists stuck in the same predicament gives
us a new perspective, and it also removes any of the awkward questions
around consent that cropped up in Richard Curtis's creepy time loop
take About Time. With Nyles and Sarah hooking up from the off,
Palm Springs removes any questions about whether Nyles is
simply out to bang Sarah. No, the poor schlub genuinely falls for
her.
Palm Springs papers over our familiarity with the tropes
of time loop movies by constantly springing surprises on us. I won’t go
into detail for fear of spoiling anything, but there's a lot more going
on here than first meets the eye. Various details of what Nyles and
Sarah had been up to in their disparate multiverses prior to bonding in
the magic cave are slowly fed to us, fleshing out both their backstories
and the small world they reluctantly inhabit.
But for all its structural smarts, Palm Springs works
because of its charm. It's a light-hearted delight anchored by two
winning performances from Samberg and Milioti. Samberg has the look of a
man who could be anywhere from 25 to 45, which makes him ideal to play
someone who has lived for an indeterminate number of days without aging.
With her huge expressive Disney eyes, Milioti makes for the perfect
rabbit-in-the-headlights foil for Samberg's cynicism.
The movie boils down to a question of whether it's better to live the
same contented day over and over, or risk moving on with an uncertain
life. I won’t reveal which option Palm Springs ultimately
goes for, but after a year of lockdown it's no doubt a question that
will strike a chord with anyone who chooses a viewing of
Palm Springs to help get them through another day of life
on repeat.
