Palm Springs Review

With a premise ripped straight out of 1993's film Groundhog Day, the new comedy Palm Springs from director Max Barbakow won't receive much praise for its originality. However, the film manages to overcome its familiar foundation through creative execution charged with offbeat and satirical wit. Despite occasionally leaning too heavily on the expected tropes of its inspirations, writer Andy Siara's exuberant blend of goofy quips and romantic elements help set the film apart from others that attempt similar plot points and emotional beats. Helmed by refreshingly comedic performances from Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, Palm Springs proves that inventiveness and entertainment can still be accomplished through recycled narrative concepts.

Stuck at a wedding in the titular Palm Springs, Nyles meets Sarah, the maid of honour, after rescuing her from an embarrassing toast. Sarah quickly becomes drawn to Nyles, but as the night progresses, Sarah finds out that she has becomes trapped with Nyles in a profound time loop that forces both of them to relive the day of the wedding for eternity.

There is a self-aware absurdity to much of Palm Springs. The gradually more ludicrous unravelings of the story with the lively and often sarcastically driven performances from its cast keep a fittingly playful vibe that's easy to enjoy from start to finish. The nihilistic and embittered themes that the film entertains work well when delivered confidently and comedically as they often are from Samberg and Milioti, helping to build a steadily sharp yet lighthearted tone that's consistently present.

Palm Springs does come with more baggage than just its emulative structure. Despite establishing sequences filled with enthusiastic and intriguing elements, Palm Springs does suffer from abrupt pacing issues and cliche moments that sometimes takes away from the charm that it works hard to build. Many of these tiresome additions are solely included for generic plot advancement or to fortify themes that are already apparent. The helpless addition of more formulaic sequences doesn't burden Palm Springs heavily, but can dilute the enjoyment of the aspects that function well.

Overall, there's enough entertainingly sarcastic and cynical delivery in both the dialogue and performances to forgive the film's simple idea. The clever and creative moments throughout Palm Springs help make a film about repetition, not feel repetitive. Some may roll their eyes at the addition of exhausted romantic and comedic tropes, but Palm Springs doesn't linger too long on them, achieving a heartfelt and unchallenging romcom.

Refreshing moments of humour and lighthearted romance brought together with playfully pessimistic dialogue and an enjoyable cast lifts Palm Springs past its elementary premise.

Produced By: NEON
Runtime: 90 minutes
Rating: PG-13