Author Topic: PALM SPRINGS - a fun take on a well-established formula  (Read 634 times)

Offline perc2100

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Mar 2012
  • Posts: 4318
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1770
PALM SPRINGS - a fun take on a well-established formula
« on: January 11, 2021, 11:01:15 AM »
PALM SPRINGS is yet another 2020 film I missed while navigating the pandemic.  This one was originally released in the summer, when myself & two kids were on summer break from school and I had precious little free time to watch movies by myself.  While I'm late to the part with this fun time-loop romantic (dark at times) comedy, I'm glad I took the 90 or so minutes to catch-up.  GROUNDHOG DAY set the standard with the "stuck in a 24 hour repeating time loop" trope, with few series or films able to compare.  "Russian Doll" broke the seemingly never ending "meh" loop of copies by blazing its own path.  PALM SPRINGS doesn't match the deep philosophical ruminations of "Russian Doll," but it does deliver an entertaining ride through a familiar presence.

Andy Samberg stars as Nyles, the hapless guy who's stuck reliving the wedding day with girlfriend Misty.  Nyles learns Misty is cheating on him & sneaks away with the bride's sister, Sarah (Cristin Milioti) for a post-wedding tryst in the desert.  A mysterious man named Roy (living treasure JK Simmons) interrupts the affair by shooting Nyles with a few arrows, who crawls into a mysterious cave.  Misty follows, and wakes up in a familiar setting to quickly realize she is stuck in a never-ending 24 hour time loop of the wedding day.  She confronts Nyles who fills her in.

The premise isn't a unique one, but the comedic timing makes the "been there/done that" story worthwhile.  We learn Roy only shows up every few days (or weeks? Nyles is unclear since he's been in the loop long enough to be groggy about timing), but when he does it's gold!  JK Simmons elevates EVERYTHING he's in, and in this film he goes from vindictive menace (the short montage of ways he's made Nyles 'pay' for making him relive the same day over & over is truly hilarious in a darkly comedic way) to the true heart of the film (explaining to Nyles how he's finally learned to cope with the constantly repeating day).

The film attempt to explain the loop via physics, in a way that doesn't get too scientific but still is capable of bringing resolution in the end.  Samberg and Milioti are charming leads as they try to figure out what's going on as well as fall in and out of love.  The film seems to try to set up a "will they or won't they?!" romantic premise between the two, but anyone who's seen a few films likely can guess how this relationship ends.

PALM SPRINGS is solid entertainment that has a nice pace and doesn't get too bogged down with any one aspect of the loop.  It wisely starts the film with Nyles already well-established with his knowledge of the repeating day, and the film seems to dodge repeating comedic beats from GROUNDHOG DAY to its benefit.  The film is different enough to be entertaining while sticking to just enough of the formulae to know what audiences are expecting/wanting.  There aren't any big shocking twists or turns here, though Roy does provide a nice wrinkle in the story for the leads to navigate.

PALM SPRINGS is available to stream currently on Hulu.

Offline chocolateshake

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2016
  • Posts: 3270
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1497
Re: PALM SPRINGS - a fun take on a well-established formula
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2021, 04:06:36 PM »
I watched this a few weeks ago.  I liked it.

Friends of Comic Cons

  • Guest
Re: PALM SPRINGS - a fun take on a well-established formula
« Reply #2 on: Today at 02:05:04 PM »

Offline perc2100

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Mar 2012
  • Posts: 4318
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1770
Re: PALM SPRINGS - a fun take on a well-established formula
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2021, 08:10:49 AM »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
I watched this a few weeks ago.  I liked it.
Yeah I got almost to the ending before I realized,
Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.
. Fun movie