Palm Springs

Starring: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons, Meredith Hagner, Peter Gallagher, Camila Mendes, Tyler Hoechlin, June Squibb

Director: Max Barbakow

Troubled Sarah (Cristin Milioti) has come to Palm Springs for her sister Tala's (Camila Mendes) wedding to Abe (Tyler Hoechlin). At the reception, she finds herself drawn to the free spirited Nyles (Andy Samberg), who seems mysteriously in sync with events and people. After Nyles shows her that his girlfriend Misty (Meredith Hagner) is cheating on him, Sarah can't help but give into her attraction to the confident Nyles. Their romantic tryst is interrupted after Nyles is shot by a bow and arrow by Roy (J.K. Simmons) who appears to be hunting him. After he and Roy both disappear into a glowing cave, Sarah follows. Suddenly, everything resets and Sarah finds herself reliving the same day. As it turns out, Nyles is stuck in an infinite time loop thanks to the cave and since Sarah followed him she is now fated to be stuck as well, with the day resetting whenever she goes to sleep. While Nyles is comfortable with this, Sarah tries everything she can think of to escape. As all those attempts fail and days continue to reset, Sarah and Nyles begin to realize things happen for a reason and that maybe they were meant to find each other.

This film marked the biggest sale in Sundance's history and it's easy to see why. It's a very clever and fun spin on Groundhog Day that is aided by two leads with amazing romantic chemistry.

I'm usually pretty cynical when it comes to romantic comedies. While this does eventually fall into some of those trappings, I appreciated the emotional honesty the film was able to ultimately reach. Nyles is resigned to his situation while Sarah, who does enjoy things at first, wants out. These feelings come together in a fun, complicated, and ultimately romantic way. And while it's fun to watch Samberg and Milioti continuously die and relive the same day, equally as fun is their conversations about not only multiverses but the meaning of life. These conversations lead to a convincing romance. It's not the deepest movie in any respect but I enjoyed that the movie took the time to give these characters depth.

Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti are amazing together, with her growing frustration at not being able to stop the loop and his stories of the adventures since he has been stuck. Nyles in particular could have been an extremely off-putting and unlikable character but Samberg finds a quiet sadness in Nyles to keep him grounded. The film wisely starts with Nyles already in the loop, which allows Samberg to explain the rules and allows Milioti to have some fun trying to escape. Meanwhile Milioti's character is harboring a secret (which is admittedly easy to figure out) but her wrestling with the implications behind it is given a stronger emotional depth thanks to Milioti. They are both incredibly likable on their own but that likability skyrockets to another level whenever they are together and the sparks truly fly. They are aided by a crazy JK Simmons as another person who has gotten stuck in the loop thanks to Nyles. Simmons dives into the insane humor of the film with relish and I love that he brings his all to the comedy roles he takes on.

I had a lot of fun with this movie. While I think this would have been a huge hit theatrically, I am glad it is now more likely to be seen by even more people.

Grade: A

Palm Springs is available on Hulu