Palm Springs Film

Directed by Max Barbakow

Starring: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons

Rated R for sexual content, language throughout, drug use and some violence

Palm Springs is a the directorial debut of Max Barbakow. In this comedic fantasy film, Nyles (played by Adam Samberg) relives the same day over and over again and lives a miserable life. After an odd incident, Sarah (played by Cristin Milioti) also gets stuck in a time loop with Nyles and soon shares a miserable life with him. Despite whatever these two pair do, whether it is attempt suicide or fall asleep, these two awaken to the same day. They must learn to live this unsettling life and make the best of it.

Palm Springs is an enjoyable comedic film that works well due to its main leads. The two main leads, Samberg and Milioti, work well together and bring out a good laugh. While the film isn’t laugh out loud hilarious, it does bring out a good chuckle every once in a while. It’s unfortunate that the film isn’t as comedic as I hoped it would be. But this doesn’t take away any enjoyment the film has going for it. In addition to the main leads, J.K. Simmons have a small, but memorable role as Roy. Roy is also in the same situation as Nyles and Sarah and wants revenge for being trapped in the time loop. As stated before, Roy’s role is very brief and I would have preferred he have a much larger role. But for the short amount of time he is on screen, he certainly made his presence known.

While the film is certainly a fantasy film, and it doesn’t hide this fact by going all out, it is still somewhat relatable. When we learn that Nyles has been reliving the same day over and over for some time now, we realize why he wakes up so lifeless at the start in the film. It soon dawns on us that life can get this dull for some people and it all becomes repetitive. It’s odd to say a film that embodies Groundhog’s Day has a relatable quality, especially in these times we are living in. I credit writer Andy Siara for this achievement, along with writing an engaging screenplay.

While Palm Springs was released on Hulu, it feels like this film was swept under the radar. The film is unfortunately getting little attention now, but Palm Springs almost seems destined to be a cult classic years from now. Palm Springs is definitely worth a watch as there is much enjoyment to be had in this comedy film.

3/4