REVIEW: Andy Samberg and J.K. Simmons Are The Winning Pair in “Palm Springs”
Palm Springs, directed by Max Barbakow sees a new take on the time loop story, ala Groundhog Day. Starring Andy Samberg, who also produces, and Cristin Milioti, this version isn’t an instant hit but definitely isn’t a miss.
The film opens on the day of Sarah’s (Milioti) sister Tala’s (Camila Mendes) wedding to Abe (Tyler Hoechlin). Sarah isn’t a fan of love or happy endings and can’t wait for the wedding to be over when she encounters the carefree Nyles (Samberg). Suddenly the wedding doesn’t seem that bad until she finds herself stuck in a time loop with Nyles. Now she is forced to relive her sister’s wedding day over and over again. Sarah must either accept her new looping life with Nyles or find a way for them to escape.
Palm Springs definitely brought a new approach to the time loop storyline, but it wasn’t as funny as it could have been based on the film’s talent. Samberg and Milioti are fun as Nyles and Sarah, but not exactly funny. There are humorous moments yet definite instances of the comedy falling flat. The true gems in this film are the scenes between JK Simmons’ Roy and Samberg’s Nyles. Simmons and Samberg are great together and it would’ve been interesting to see the film with that duo trapped in the time loop together. Their characters brought out the best in one another, even when they were supposed to hate one another.
Mendes and Hoechlin are good as Tala and Abe, but are merely minor characters. Hoechlin’s Abe does have a little bit more story to his character; overall, the pair are there to propel our leads forward. I think it could have been interesting to explore these characters a little more, especially in relation to Sarah and Nyles, but unfortunately these two are left in the dark.
Palm Springs is definitely a different take on the time loop, but not the best take. It is entertaining, but for me, it didn’t get entertaining until I was introduced to the time loop. The nice thing is the movie is available on Hulu, so if you subscribe to the streaming platform go ahead and check it out for yourself.
Grade: B-