Palm Springs Review: The Goundhog Day Formula Gets A Boost From Samberg And Milioti's Fantastic Chemistry

Release date: July 10, 2020
Running time: 90 minutes
Starring: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons 

Palm Springs is a Groundhog Day movie where carefree Nyles (Samberg) is stuck in a time loop, repeating the same Palm Springs wedding day over and over.  However, when reluctant maid of honor Sarah (Milioti) has a chance encounter with Nyles, things get complicated as they are unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other.  

Although many movies have taken on the repeating day formula that Groundhog Day made famous, Palm Springs has a fun new take on it.  Nyles is carefree, having long come to terms with his constantly repeating day.  He tries new things but mostly just tries to live in the moment.  This character is perfectly suited for Andy Samberg, like he was made for this role.  He is charming, aloof, and charismatic in his constantly repeating world.  However, later on he is joined by Sarah, who provides a nice foil for him.  Milioti is the perfect complement to Samberg.  She is much more serious overall, and although she can also let loose and have fun in their predicament, she tends to be more focused than Samberg.  Together they make a great team, and one that you'll want to see over and over again (thankfully, that's the point of the film)!

And although the story of the film revolves around a repeating day, there are enough surprises to keep the story fresh.  The pair try out many new things in order to beat the boredom, and meet new people along the way.  There are also slow reveals of their past that keep the story fresh and allow the characters to surprise you and keep growing.  One reveal will change the way you look at a certain scene you have seen many times before.  And the story stays interesting because  of both the characters and the very funny writing.  The dialog feels natural, and gets changed enough during the repeated viewings to keep it from getting stale.  And, as you would expect from an Andy Samberg film, there are plenty of jokes and laugh out loud situations.  However, although there are plenty of silly events that occur, it feels like they could have gone a little crazier in what they do.  It's not much of a criticism, but I could have used with a few more over the top events, despite absolutely loving this film.  

Palm Springs is a fresh take on the Groundhog Day formula, with a charismatic duo, plenty of ridiculous and laugh-out-loud moments, and a story that grows on you as it repeats! 

Watch it.