My Thoughts on Palm Springs

The last 13 months have been exhausting. Any film capturing the zeitgeist now will have to do so for an audience that is so hyper-aware of everything going on in the world and craving an escape over any sort of direct address of the world's morale. But what if a film could do both? Enter Palm Springs, a frothy, sunny rom-com that offers delightful refuge to burnt-out filmgoers, while also deftly exploring how draining it is to live the same day again and again. It took a while to arrive on these shores, but it floated onto Amazon Prime earlier this month after building up a hefty amount of buzz. But was it earned? Let's find out

The film is set over the course of a wedding taking place on November 9th, as sister of the bride Sarah meets laidback cynic Nyles. From the start, Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg sell their chemistry, her ambiguous angst bouncing off of his relaxed world-weariness. It's all very meet-cute until she wakes up to find that it's November 9th again. And again. And again. If you're reading this and getting flashes of Punxsutawney, then it's to the great credit of writers Andy Siara and Max Barbakow that Palm Springs is able to find new ground in the time loop genre, and become its own small landmark in the process. It runs at a lean 90 minutes, and breezy as its pacing is, it never stops the film from charging head-first at a Groundhog-style plot beat before ducking and rolling into uncharted territory. It's not that the story points themselves are new- the film is a respectable mix of rom-com tropes, sci-fi concepts and broader gags- but the way Palm Springs arranges them does feels distinct, and is massively exciting as a result

Part of this comes from the duality of it all. Sarah and Nyles provide two entirely different perspectives on the concept, and watching how their experiences of the loop overlap and contrast and deepen their relationship is what forms the backbone of the film's charm. It keeps its more intricate plot beats stewing under the gags for most of its run, tiding the audience over with sharp lines ("You're cheating on me, ya goof") before blindsiding them with smart storytelling and genuinely poignant character turns. Without spoiling anything, the way the film explores Nyles' deep-seated cynicism is the ace up Palm Springs' sleeve. The growing apathy under his cool demeanor is bound to resonate with anyone who has found this past year especially draining, and although the film was completed and premiered before the pandemic started, the timing of its release feels on-point for that very reason

Palm Springs is a salve. It frames love as a cure for gnawing indifference without ever sacrificing its hilarious gags, surprisingly intelligent plot twists and deep reservoirs of charm. It's another triumph for producers The Lonely Island and a massive calling card for the bafflingly underrated Cristin Milioti. It's a delight, smart and fun enough to serve different purposes for different audiences. It nails an incredibly tricky balancing act as the rare crowd-pleaser that swings for the fences and absolutely delivers. It makes a passionate argument that just because a film is fun doesn't mean it should skimp on the substance. And folks, that's something that everyone could use right now

 ★ ★ ★ ★