Palm Springs

Starring: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons, Peter Gallagher, Meredith Hagner, Camla Mendes, Tyler Hoechlin, Chris Pang, June Squibb
Directed by: Max Barbakow
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two wedding guests (Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti) get caught in a time loop.

Review:

Tim: In the genre of time loop movies, Groundhog Day is the gold standard. There's been some exciting films over the years, most notably, Edge of Tomorrow doing the action/sci-fi version. Palm Springs is certainly closer in tone to Groundhog Day, and while not at the level of that iconic movie, is surprisingly good. Indeed, on a short list of my favorite "time loop" movies, this one would certainly make the list.

A number of interesting things were done with the film. First, it takes place in a fairly isolated location, so the day does tend to feel familiar. This was well done, because a time loop in a major city would provide far more opportunities for variety. We need some repetition for the story to work. I did like that in this film, you could travel as far away as you wanted. The time loop wasn't confined by geography.

I loved the way the movie presented the characters- Cristin Milioti is really the audience representative, and she learns the ropes from Andy Samberg's character. This was a great shift from the familiar Groundhog Day formula. It seems small, but it made a huge difference. I loved watching a character who is new to the time loop idea interacting with someone who has lived the day so many times that it's lost any surprise or novelty. It creates some truly compelling moments between the characters. The script does a fantastic job of examining this power dynamic. Those are some of the best moments of the film and it makes for fascinating viewing.

I was a big fan of the cast. I love Andy Samberg, especially due to his excellent work on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. His comedic sensibilities are fantastic and he was so effective here. He's goofy and likeable and is more than willing to laugh at himself. This was the perfect role for him. I really liked Cristina Milioti, too. She got the short end of the stick on How I Met Your Mother and her talent deserved better than she got on that (which I love, but her character wasn't handled well). It was great seeing her featured prominently here. I really enjoyed her character and it felt like she was fully fleshed out, multi-layered character. So many films would have had her as "the girlfriend" and this movie treats her character with infinitely more respect than that. She's a complicated, compelling character and in many ways, is the heart of the movie. I liked the pairing of Milioti and Samberg. They worked well together and had solid chemistry.

The supporting cast was really effective. J.K. Simmons makes every single movie he's in better. He truly did that here. He is such a strong comedic actor and he delivered a great performance here. I love how he balanced the funny side with a darker, sadistic side. He was able to demonstrate multiple layers to his character and made the movie better. He was excellent in his memorable supporting role. It was nice seeing Peter Gallagher here, too. He has a limited role, but it's always fun seeing him. Meredith Hagner was decent, but felt like not quite at the level as some of the others. The cast really did make the movie.

I had a lot of fun with this movie. It's entertaining, it's occasionally really funny, and it's a fun movie. Time loop movies offer a lot of opportunities and this movie seized more of them than it missed. Director Max Barbakow benefited from a strong, intelligent script, but he certainly makes the most of the potential there. The story does drag a little bit in the last third. It's a short movie (1 hour, 30 minutes), but the repetition did feel a bit redundant at one point. I wouldn't say the resolution was brilliantly scripted. Much of the movie is easy to accept, but I felt some disbelief cropping up towards the end.

Palm Springs isn't a great movie, but it's a thoroughly impressive one. It was a blast to watch and it made me so thankful I have Hulu now. It's one of the most fun movies of 2020 and on top of the entertainment factor, made you think a bit about life. What more could you ask?

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Groundhog Day, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping