Palm Springs (2020)
“Ignoring the past means you’re destined to repeat it.” – Sarah.
Palm Springs (2020)
Directed by: Max Barbakow
Written by: Andy Siara
Starring: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, Camila Mendes, JK Simmons, Tyler Hoechlin
Charming and witty, Palm Springs brings a modern take to the 1993 comedy classic Groundhog Day. The skeleton of the plot is actually identical – man gets stuck in a time loop and anytime he goes to sleep he wakes up on the morning of the exact same day he just experienced. However, that’s where the similarities end, with writer Andy Siara putting a clever spin on the well-known classic.
The most obvious change from the original is the setting of the movie. This time, it’s a wedding in Palm Springs, where carefree Nyles (Samberg) has a chance encounter with maid of honour and sister-of-the-bride Sarah (Milioti). However, romance turns to despair for Sarah the following morning, when she finds herself stuck in a time loop, and Nyles explains that they are now stuck with each other, reliving that same day for eternity.
This movie was great, which surprised me, as I went into it expecting a ‘bad version of Groundhog Day’. Instead, Siara jazzed up the screenplay and introduced just enough important differences to make it unpredictable. The greatest change is the setting, as using a wedding as the backdrop for your movie is undefeated (with the exception of maybe high school movies). The amount of drama, comedy, and characters you can introduce to an audience through a wedding is a goldmine for a good writer, and Siara capitalises on this here. The isolated wedding venue in the middle of a desert also acts as a metaphor for the dark reality facing the two main characters – they are stuck, with no way out. The other main difference is now having two characters (rather than one) stuck in the time loop. This allows the relationship between Nyles and Sarah to develop more like a traditional romance movie, with this relationship leading to more philosophical ponderings later in the film.
But enough about similarities and differences to Groundhog Day, let’s discuss Palm Springs in more detail. As stated, it’s a bundle of fun, which is mainly a by-product of the infectious energy both Samberg and Miloti bring to the screen. I still don’t know how to peg Andy Samberg down, as I really like him in everything he’s in, but I’m convinced he’s not acting at all and is just being himself reading lines. The same is true here - you get 90 minutes of Samberg being his goofy, likeable, funny self, and the movie is better for it. I’m less familiar with Milioti’s work (I recognise her as Leo’s first wife in The Wolf of Wall Street), but she’s a great embodiment of the charismatic Sarah, and matches Samberg’s energy in every scene. The supporting cast features some fun cameos from heavy hitters, most notably JK Simmons, Peter Gallagher (Sandy Cohen from The OC!) and Camila Mendes. Everyone is funny and plays their role well.
The script is funny and charming, with Sarah and Nyles providing a rom-com couple you want to root for, and a number of great montage sequences showing ‘what you could do’ if you were able to live the same day over and over again. Siara explores this premise –eternal life but stuck on the same day – brilliantly. You get to experience the evolution of “oh this is a disaster”, to “actually this is kind of fun, we can do whatever we want with no repercussions”, and then finally “we are stuck here forever, this is essentially purgatory” along with the main characters. And with this, Siara helps unpack extremely complex themes such as love, purpose, happiness, betrayal, guilt, honesty, and empathy in a meaningful way. It’s also worth noting that it isn’t a long film, it’s only 90 minutes, which feels like the perfect length.
In summary, Palm Springs is not just another popcorn flick. It’s a funny film with a lot of depth and a surprisingly intellectual script. It’s admittedly not as good as Groundhog Day, but if you’re into Samberg comedies and want a comedy that will make you laugh as well as think, check this out.
Rating: 7/10