‘I felt everything I’ll ever feel. So I’ll never feel ever again…’
The thing about time loop movies is that they are all great. Groundhog Day, Source Code, Edge of Tomorrow, Happy Death Day etc etc. I love all those movies. I don’t know what it is about repeating the same day over and over that appeals to me, but something about it does. Maybe it’s the removal of responsibility. A reality in which actions have no consequences. Palm Springs is the latest addition to this fine canon of work, and it’s a fine addition itself…
Nyles (Andy Samberg) has been repeating the same day for a long time. His awful girlfriend has cheated on him countless times, he’s witnessed the same wedding over and over and over again. Things only change when Sarah (Cristin Milioti) also joins the repetition train.
Samberg is an actor I’ve respected from afar without ever really buying in to. I’ve never seen Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and I’ve always found his cinematic output to be a little blah. He truly excels here however as the laid back and content protagonist. As ever, a romantic comedy is only as exciting as the chemistry shared by the lead actors, and Samberg clearly enjoys playing alongside Cristin Milioti – an actress I know literally nothing about but who brings a breezy confidence and likability to the character of Sarah.
Joining Samberg and Milioti is the always enjoyable presence of JK Simmons as a homicidal maniac, and sure enough, he is wonderful as ever. This all adds up to marvelous maelstrom of romance, comedy and science fiction hi jinks. It’s hard to imagine anyone disliking this movie, something that feels like it should be easy to create, but is actually incredibly difficult. Director Max Barbakow and his talented cast have pulled it off in spades.