Palm Springs

Director: Max Barbakow

Starring: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K Simmons, Camilla Mendes, Tyler Hoechlin

Rating: R

Runtime: 90 minutes

If you’d have told me at the start of the year that a Hulu exclusive film (that originally premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and in fact sold for the most a Sundance Festival Film has ever sold for, and for good reason), starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Miloti, would not only rocket to the top of my favourite films of 2020, but perhaps become one of the best films I’ve ever seen and an instant favourite that I’ll rewatch over and over again, I’d have called you insane. But then again, if you’d have told me 95% of the things that have happened this year, I’d have called you insane.

Palm Springs is basically Groundhog Day as a romantic comedy. if that premise sounds utterly insane, it is, but somehow screenwriter Andy Siara and director Max Barbakow not only make it work, they manage to make something new entirely. The film centres around Nyles (Andy Samberg), a man who is stuck in a time loop, living the same day over and over and over again. By the time we meet him he’s been through the loop repeatedly, and Samberg plays the part incredibly well. He brings heart and passion to the role, while never straying too far from his comedic roots. I’ve said for years that Samberg is an underrated and often underutilized actor, and this film definitively proves this to me. Nyles meets Sarah (Cristin Milioti), during one of his loops and ends up dragging her into the living hell he is faced with during every waking moment. From this point onwards, the film revolves around Sarah coming to terms with her situation, some hilarious setpieces only possible in this genre of film, Nyles being hunted by Roy (J.K Simmons) for reasons unknown to the audience and Sarah and Nyles beginning to fall for each other.

As previously mentioned. Samberg is fantastic throughout this film. With some truly beautiful writing at points, he piles his entire heart and soul into the role and really makes you care about the character. His acting at around the midpoint of the film after a pivotal moment especially makes you feel for the character, makes your heart crack in two. Milioti too is just phenomenal here. She sells you on the terror that Sarah faces when she realises she’s stuck in a constant loop, yet never manages to cross the fine line into becoming an annoying character. She also manages to make the change in character for Sarah throughout the film feel believable and natural, with nothing feeling out of place. Shout-out to J.K Simmons too for having some of the most tender acting I’ve seen in a romantic comedy to this day.

This is director Max Barbakow’s directorial debut, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from it. There’s some amazing imagery throughout, some truly wonderful shots and all the shot choices are perfect for the scenes they’re used in. There’s never anything that feels off, nor anything that’s filler throughout the film. The film runs for a fairly short run time of ninety minutes, and as a result the film doesn’t drag for a second. In terms of pacing, the film flies by. I never got tired of the film for a second, and when it ended I feel incredibly satisfied and hungry for more. The way Siara writes the characters of Nyles and Sarah they’re so easily and wonderfully likable, with the charisma of both Samberg and Milioti, just making these characters an absolute joy to watch.

I’d like to take a brief moment to discuss some of the themes of the film. If you don’t want thematic spoilers, look away now, but if you don’t mind some mild thematic spoilers just keep reading. The film deals with how it’s very easy to view life as pointless and meaningless after going through a certain amount of stuff. Nothing means anything in a world where it doesn’t seem like things are changing. Personally, this struck me quite deeply. My mindset for the world has been quite nihilistic for a while now, with the view that the world is crumbling and that we’re not going to be able to change anything as singular beings. Everything is pointless and nothing is worth anything anymore. However, in a strange way, Palm Springs made me realise that maybe this viewpoint is untrue. Whether through action or inaction, we can control our own lives and fates and etch out our own paths through this insane, disgusting, beautiful world. It’s an incredible message, one that you really wouldn’t expect to see in a film starring two actors known best as “That guy from Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “The Mother from How I Met Your Mother”.

There’s also the theme running through the film that the only way to move forward is to take chances. The climax of the film amplifies this. showing that the only way to not get stuck in an eternally looping rut is to try something new and take a leap. It’s a common theme throughout many notable films, but to see it done so well in a film that also has several sex jokes (all of which land, by the way) is so bizarre that it almost feels unreal.

Palm Springs is just a beautiful film. Truly a once in a lifetime cinematic experience, and it’s such a shame I never got to see this on the big screen.  In terms of acting, messaging, subtext (there are even deeper conversations to be had about the films exploration of love and how it’s important to live your life regardless of your past mistakes), cinematography (Quyen Tran knocks it out of the park with some incredible landscapes and shots scattered throughout the movie) and everything else. It’s just a top-tier movie up there with some of the best. At the end of the day, this is a film that’s likely to become a cult classic but should be remembered as so much more than that. This is cinematic history.