Palm Springs is a film that knows how to make a strong impression pretty fast. We open like it’s any other rom-com. It’s the day of the big wedding. We meet our lead, the slacker Nyles (Andy Samberg), lazily going through the motions with pretty much everything he’s involved with throughout the day from his morning quickie with his girlfriend, Misty (Meredith Hagner) to the ceremony itself, where he attends wearing a Hawaiian shirt and drunk. Later that night, he goes out with Sarah (Cristin Milioti), the bride’s sister, known for being a bit of a trainwreck. They’re about to hook up.
And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Nyles is hit by an arrow. He runs away screaming, continuously getting hit by more arrows by a pissed off Roy (J.K. Simmons), leaving Sarah behind in a baffled state, wondering what the hell is going on. She follows Nyles as he enters a cave where there is a strange otherworldly light. He crawls towards it, yelling at her to stay away, and not follow him, but she can’t help but look. She gets sucked in, and the film immediately cuts to the morning. Of the day of the wedding. Again.
So, yes, it’s another film that riffs on the Groundhog Day formula. Nyles has been in it for a while, and now, Sarah finds herself stuck with him. And given the reveal of the conceit, and the way the film plays with the dynamic between Sarah and Nyles, it becomes very clear that director, Max Barbakow, screenwriter, Andy Siara (both of whom are making their feature debut here) have seen this type of story done numerous times, and have managed to construct a story that uses it in a fresh and creative way. As I was watching the film, I kept thinking to myself how this hasn’t been done like this before.
That’s not to say it’s all innovative. The general trajectory of the character arcs and the plot overall still goes through the same familiar beats that you expect from a story like this. What ultimately keeps it so engaging is the way the film plays with its characters, and finding a balance between the humor and the pathos. Nyles has to learn to find meaning in his life again, and Sarah needs to believe in herself. Eventually a romance is developed, but I like that the general arc doesn’t require the romance to come to fruition. It centers the needs of the characters first.
It helps that Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti are thoroughly charming in this. I was especially surprised by how toned down Samberg was compared to his usual schtick. There’s certainly a man-child element at play, but it’s rooted in something real – that fear of moving forward, that anything you might do is meaningless. Meanwhile, Sarah struggles to deal with her past and fits of self-pity, feeling like she’s held back by the decisions that have led her to being the black sheep in her family. These issues are very real and relatable, and it offers an emotional foot-in-the-door for us to get a better understanding while also providing ample opportunities for the two to go wild. Milioti gets a number of moments to really stretch her comedic muscles.
These two performers also share a wonderful and infectious chemistry that keeps you engaged through their highs and lows. The rest of the cast, which includes the likes of Camila Mendes, Tyler Hoechlin, Dale Dickey, June Squibb, and Peter Gallagher, among others, all do a good enough job, although they don’t get as much comedic material to work with. The only exceptions to that are the aforementioned Meredith Hagner and J.K. Simmons, who both get some fantastic moments. It keeps a strong focus on the journey our two leads take, so it’s fine that they share a majority of the jokes and gags. Though, I did sometimes wish we got to see more of other characters.
Simply put, Palm Springs is a lovely and joyful picture that takes a classic formula, and makes it feel fresh while smartly tapping into all the things that made that formula so effective in the first place. It explores emotions that are universal, and it explores them with sincerity, even in the most absurd and delirious moments. It is easily the best execution of the Groundhog Day formula I’ve seen in a film since Edge Of Tomorrow. And while the destination might not be the most surprising or inventive, as the cliché goes, the journey getting there was more than worth it. If you have Hulu, it is absolutely worth your time since few films this year are as breezy and blissful as this one.