Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti star in a fresh and funny comedy that might remind you of something you saw before…
Yes, that’s correct, you’ve got it!
This Groundhog Day-esque Sundance record-breaker is a showstopper, with plenty of fun to be had on the way in its time-lloping premise. Sundance history was made when Neon and Hulu partnered to buy Palm Springs, a hipster wedding romcom with a twist, paying an alleged $22m, a record sale for the festival.
And rightly so, the twisty set-up is roughly familiar: two unconnected guests at a wedding find love. Sarah (Cristin Milioti) is the sister of the bride, a cynic who drinks and fucks too much (something she admits to with a combination of pride and shame).
While Nyles (Andy Samberg) is a drifter so bored of the festivities that he’s making a drunken scene just to liven things up. By the end of the night they’re undressing under the stars, but events take a shocking turn when Nyles is killed, revealing a Groundhog Day-esque time-loop that Sarah is now trapped in with him.
Every day starts the same but how it ends is up to them (which is mainly with a hell of a lot of pain!).
The wake up, flirt, drink, die, repeat, repeat and repeat. Of course, we have seen this sam gimmick used in the last few years with the terrific Happy Death Day films and the adorable, Netflix comedy-show, Russian Doll.
What elevates Palm Springs above these other time-looping show is the dreaded, What if i’m alone forever scenario? And Samberg plays it for laughs, both actors do. But the truth in the matter is, love will always find away, even if you have screwed about with everyone at the wedding more than once, which Samberg’s character has done.
And Sarah goes through the requisite shock and denial upon learning her circumstances, but it’s all mostly in the service of making sure viewers understand the few hard rules the movie has for its time loop.
Once all that’s taken care of, the movie digs into its characters, and that’s where it sings. Their chemistry is quaint, dark and broody. Sad at times. Funny other times.
And while Palm Springs is a fun rom-com, it’s a story haunted by the idea that we’d secretly be tempted by a world where nothing really matters, to absolve ourselves of responsibility.
It’s not just that it makes you laugh with its goofy sense of humour or captivates with its unlikely love story between two broken people, it’s that it plays with a beloved genre to offer not a happily ever after but a clever “what if?”.
THE SUPPORTING CAST:
J.KSimmons as Roy: A family member of the groom who is stuck in the loop and often tries to kill Nyles.
Meredith Hagner as Misty: Nyles’ girlfriend who has a habit of cheating on him.
Camila Mendes as Tala: Sarah’s younger sister and the bride. Mendes currently portrays Veronica Lodge on Riverdale.
Tyler Hoechlin as Abe: The groom who happens to have a dark secret. .
Peter Gallagher as Howard: The father of Sarah and Tala. Gallagher is best recognized for his work in The O.C.
Jacqueline Obradors as Pia: The wife of Howard and the stepmother to Sarah and Tala.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Along with a sharp sense of humor and compelling performances, Palm Springs delivers an absolutely charming rom-com with a fun sci-fi twist, and a small, talented cast. Culturedemandsgeeks think this is the kind of movie most folks are going to want to loop through repeatedly.
4.5/5 STARS