Palm Springs (2020) Poster

(2020)

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8/10
Groundhog Wedding
Tweekums12 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Nyles is attending a wedding in Palm Springs with his girlfriend; his behaviour seems somewhat unusual, he turns up dressed for the beach rather than in formal wear, but later on, he rescues the bride's sister, Sarah, as her toast is a bit of a disaster. Through the evening they get closer and head into the desert together. Just as they are about to get intimate a strange man attacks Nyles with a bow and arrow. Injured, he heads into a mysterious cave, warning Sarah not to follow. She does and they both wake up and it is once again the morning of the wedding. For Nyles this day has been repeating for almost as long as he can remember but for Sarah it is the first time of many. As the wedding day repeats Sarah tries to make sense of it, figure out how to get out and gradually grows closer to Nyles. Of course there will be problems for them both.

The idea of a day repeating is hardly new, 'Groundhog Day' did it in '93 and 'Happy Death Day' gave it a horror twist more recently... that doesn't mean this is unoriginal though. Having one character already caught in the time loop when the story starts adds something new as it means Sarah has a guide, of sorts, when she too is caught up. The story is fairly obviously a rom-com but it escapes many of that genres clichés, often by mixing in the fun clichés of the smaller time loop genre... most notably varied deaths suffered by those in the loop. There are lots of laughs to be had throughout the film. The cast is solid; most obviously Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti as Nyles and Sarah. While only in a relatively small roll, as the man hunting Nyles, J. K. Simmons steals every scene he is in. There is quite a lot of swearing, which might put some viewers off but if it doesn't bother you this film is well worth watching if you want a good laugh and some romance.
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8/10
Keeping things fresh in a time loop
cricketbat3 February 2021
Due to the repetitive nature of time loop movies, they have to be done right in order to keep the audience engaged the whole time. Palm Springs does it right. This film does a great job of keeping things fresh. Andy Samberg shows that he's more than just a goofball, and Cristin Milioti proves, once again, why she should have had a more prominent role on How I Met Your Mother. I wish this film were a little less vulgar, so it would be accessible to a broader audience, because I think more people should take a trip with Palm Springs.
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8/10
Another Pretty Cool Timeloop Movie
The-Sarkologist9 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
There's something about time loop movies that are pretty cool, though I guess it probably has to do with Groundhog Day simply being one of those classic films that spur people on to adapt it to different situations. This one is certainly no different, and it does have some uniqueness about it that I particularly enjoyed. The difference with this one is that multiple people are actually trapped in the time loop, and they are able to interact with each other, which I thought was quite cool. The other thing is that while we know who is trapped in the loop, we don't know how long they have been in the loop, namely because they have been caught in it for so long.

So, basically have this guy Nyles, who as you can guess, has been living this day over and over again. Like, it's a wedding where his girlfriend is a bridesmaid, and it is located out in the desert, Palms Springs to be precise. Obviously, he has used the opportunity to, well, pretty much try everything, and he also discovers and awful lot of secrets as well, such as his girlfriend being unfaithful to him. However, the catch comes when one night he is out in the desert with the maid of honour, and is attacked, and he flees into the cave, the one that originally started the time loop, and she follows him in.

It's pretty cool actually, and while I'd suggest that it is slightly different to Groundhog Day, it still has a lot of the elements. It's pretty funny as well, especially with a lot of the shennanigans that he gets up to. In fact, it seems as if he has been in this loop for so long that he no longer cares, and it has just become part of his life. Not so with Sarah, who is looking for a way out, and decides that the only way to do it is through quantum physics. Actually, it's quite interesting how these days quantum physics is thrown around with the idea of time loops, but that is probably because despite having been around for about a hundred years, there is still a lot we really don't know about it. In fact, it is just another one of those 'new frontier' type of things film makers and such that is probably why it appears so often.

Anyway, this is a pretty cool film, and quite funny as well. While it doesn't really break new ground, it's stull quite fun to watch.
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9/10
It's Very Hard to Dislike a Movie like Palm Springs
kjproulx11 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Films that revolve around characters repeating the same day over and over again has grown very tired in my mind. Groundhog Day perfected it and it really wasn't until more recently with Edge of Tomorrow that I really found a film that seemed to stand out among the rest. Well, I'm glad that I can now add Palm Springs to the list of films to put a clever spin on this concept. This film was originally supposed to play at more film festivals around the world and eventually receive a theatrical release, but things being the way they are, Hulu has now released it. Although this may be a film that's hard to find for some right now, here's why Palm Springs is one of the very best movies to come out of this bare year of 2020 so far.

Nyles (Andy Samberg) and Sarah (Cristin Milioti) find themselves sort of bonding over the fact that they both really don't want to be at the wedding they're at. He's the date of someone who cheats on him and she is the sister of the bride, who clearly has many issues. Stumbling across a strange cave after the wedding, they both find themselves caught in a time loop that has them reliving the same day over and over again. Certain things are revealed about each of these characters that add a lot more depth to the story and I found myself incredibly engaged from beginning to end.

Where this film shines the most is in the fact that it completely commits to the whole time loop concept, even giving a few winks at the audience. It never once makes any huge mistakes logically, which felt refreshing, especially in the ways it would subvert expectations and most importantly in the way that they choose to conclude the story. The way Palm Springs wraps up was a very entertaining and emotionally earned finale. Now, I feel like I say this about a lot of movies that focus so much of their time on very few characters, but I truly mean that if Samberg and Milioti didn't have any fun chemistry together, this film would've been a disaster. This is probably the most laid back and comfortable I've ever seen Andy Samberg be in a film and it made the entire experience that much better.

Only having written and directed a few short films and a documentary before tackling Palm Springs, director Max Barbakow has honestly blown me away here. With a small budget, a small number of characters, and a small scope, this film felt much bigger than it was. I can honestly see a big future for him in the coming years. I will gladly seek out his next project. On top of his stellar work on this film, writer Andy Siara (who also doesn't have a huge filmography as of yet) added a very funny and clever tone to the whole concept. It was clear that the performers were very comfortable with the dialogue because their acting lept off the screen and that just seemed to be a nice mixture of everything coming together nicely behind the scenes.

In the end, Palm Springs is a film that I was very much looking forward to, but was wary of due to the concept itself. Thankfully, this is one of the best movies that I've seen accomplish this concept in years. I'm not calling it a masterpiece by any means, but for a fun time loop movie, I really couldn't find many issues. At a mere 90 minutes, this movie flies by and has just enough clever surprises for those who may not have been completely engaged. While the idea itself has grown tired for me, this movie is undeniably hard to dislike. Everything about this movie put a huge smile on my face and if that isn't what the world needs right now, I don't know what is.
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8/10
Shockingly enjoyable
BandSAboutMovies19 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
All of the time loop films of the last year or two - Happy Death Day 2U, Boss Level, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, Koko-di Koko-da, Game Over, The Obituary of Tunde Johnson, Russian Doll, See You Yesterday - all follow that Groundhog Day-style approach of the same day happening over and over again. Of course, we can also point to 1990s 12:01 PM, which part of the Showtime 30-Minute Movie entries.

The idea is pretty rich and particularly so this year, where it really does feel like every day is exactly the same as we're trapped in our homes. Of course, like all movie trends, this one has seemingly been done to death, but can Palm Springs - a movie that escapes my radar when it played Sundance in 2020 and then went to Hulu in July - do it better?

This movie succeeds because of the likability of its two leads, Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, who have discovered a cave that allows them to repeat the same day endlessly. I kind of loved how this film didn't seem like it was about that at all until JK Simmons murders Samberg to end the day. The trailer spoils this, I spoiled this and now, we must all realize what we've done.

Actually, the spoiler is just fine. The real beauty of this movie is how the characters actually grow instead of just experiencing day after day. It also benefits from a rich cast, which includes a great cameo from physicist Clifford V. Johnson, Dale Dickey, Jena Friedman, June Squibb (who was also great in another wedding movie, Table 19), Peter Gallagher, Camila Mendes, Tyler Hoechlin (who played the kid in Road to Perdition) and Meredith Hagner.

This is a film that matter of factly gets across very open sexuality - what would you do if you could sleep with the same people over and over?* - and explores what a time loop centered around a wedding really would be like. I really loved how Simmons' character comes in and out of the story, along with the very real emotional damage these characters suffer as their bodies are often destroyed multiple times.

Director Max Barbakow hasn't done many full-length films and neither has writer Andy Siara. I'm truly excited to see what they do next, as this movie could have been completely saccharine and instead became something wonderful. It's surprising at nearly every turn and quite emotional.

Now, back to living the same day I've been living since last March.

*According to IMDB, Samberg's character was trapped in the loop for somewhere between forty and forty million years.
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6/10
2/3rds of the film are great.
ThomDerd18 July 2020
This is a six (point...twenty-five...). The start of the film is actually pretty good and you 'd think that this will get funnier and funnier but halfway through it gets closer to romance than comedy and loses it's pace. Acting is ok, storyline is cool...but for about 45 minutes. Then the script changes tone and becomes a neo-melo-dramatic hipster-esque conversational piece.

The 8s 9z and 10z here are rather misleading... 6,25/10.
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8/10
Weird but Good Weird
exlana13 July 2020
I was expecting a conventional rom-com where the guy meets the girl, but this one has a little twist. It's smart-funny, well written some of the shots are gorgeous and very wholesome. It's a fresh take for this type of "genre".
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9/10
Paradise for a day
kosmasp25 September 2020
Or is it? Sometimes you can't tell. Also while this is reminiscent of a Bill Murray classic, it does not contain the moral lesson. At least it is not meant to be taken that way. Doesn't mean there is not good things happening and characters developing. It just not as attached to the story or rather resolution as the Murray movie was.

Having said that, this also is more in the R-rated territory. So while it has some nice moments, it also isn't afraid of pulling punches. This is really funny and the two leads give it their all. Even JK Simmons who's barely in it, is as grounded (no pun intended) as he always is. But it is about the chemistry of the two lead actors and it really translates more than well. Brooklyn 99 fans and/or Lonely Island fans don't need me to tell them this anyway. Yes he also did SNL, which seems ages away ... comedy is his thing, no doubt about it.
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6/10
Pretty Good Rom-Com Time Loop Film
grim200514 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I'm a huge fan of time loop movies and this one might be in the top 5 of those I've seen.

The first half is fun and enjoyable. Samberg and Milioti are great and work well together, and the use of multiple people experiencing the time loop - something that's surprisingly rare for time loop movies - works well. Samberg's usual over-the-top schtick is turned down to 25% here, which made the movie more enjoyable for me, as it meant the humour meshed well with the somewhat more serious vibe of the movie.

Where the movie faltered for me was around half way through the movie where it switches from fun to drama. As with a lot of stories, this is when the world falls apart for our protagonist(s) and they need to fix things to get back on top and come out stronger than before. But here the resolution is not greatly satisfying, so it's not really worth the switch from fun. The ending itself is not the worst they could have gone with, but even that feels somewhat underwhelming. In fact, despite the movie having a somewhat unique premise, the last act of the movie feels like the generic final act that a lot of rom-coms movies use. I also didn't find Samberg's acting to be fantastic when he needed to act more serious, although that issue only stood out to me a few times in the film.

Overall, though, the movie was good. It did something a little different with the time loop concept, the good parts of the movie were really enjoyable, and even if the second half wasn't fantastic it didn't ruin the entire film. So I'd recommend this to anyone who likes the sound of a semi-serious rom-com time loop flick. (And now that those 90 minutes have come and gone for me, I wish they'd actually made it an 8-10 episode miniseries instead.)
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8/10
Quirky and Charming
evanston_dad21 July 2020
For a film that rips its premise off the ultimate time loop movie, "Groundhog Day," "Palm Springs" is surprisingly unpredictable and exceedingly charming. It's got an anarchic anything goes vibe and a pair of vibrant actors, Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, who also happen to have a ton of chemistry together. It's a movie for our very troubled times and seems tailor made for a quarantined audience, where day bleeds into day and the repetition of the weekly grind is sending many of us to the loony bin. The sweet message at the center of this otherwise naughty film is that it's not the what we do that keeps us happy but rather the who we do it with. It's all about appreciating the little things that make life worth living moment to moment rather than focusing all of our energies on the big things that we chase at the risk of letting peace and contentment pass us right on by.

This message is most effectively encapsulated in the character played by J.K. Simmons, who spends the first half of the movie trying to kill Andy Samberg and then has a great scene toward the end that makes the most mundane situation imaginable seem like a little piece of heaven. How I can relate to that right now.....

Grade: A-
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7/10
Palm Springs
Prismark1014 April 2021
Palm Springs is a fun time loop comedy. Mainly because it assumes that the audience is familiar with the Groundhog Day concept so it hits the ground running.

Nyles (Andy Samberg ) has been reliving the same day for ages. He goes to the wedding each day of a friend of his live in girlfriend Misty (Meredith Hagner) who is also cheating on him.

At the wedding Nyles hooks up with the bride's sister Sarah (Cristin Milioti) who has got sloshed at the wedding.

Later Nyles is attacked by a stranger with a crossbow and runs for safety.

He then relives the day again. Only this time Sarah is in the time loop with him. She followed him into a cave that contained some kind of a time vortex.

Sarah has to get used to her new life like Nyles. However she plans to escape from the time loop. She also gets Nyles to confront the stranger who keeps attacking him.

This is an enjoyable romantic comedy. The two leads have a good chemistry. It is a good reworking of Groundhog Day as well as Russian Doll as the characters reveal a little more about themselves on each new day.
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5/10
Average.
MituKashyap2311 July 2020
Movie was okayish at best. Definitely not worth 9/10 rating people are giving it. Good for a one time watch.
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9/10
Hidden Gem!!
jenellewalker2412 July 2020
I really wasn't expecting a ton from this movie, I expected a pretty decent romantic comedy and I also love Andy so I was excited to give it a shot. But WOW was I very very pleasantly surprised!! I literally started it over immediately after finishing it cause I liked it so much. Completely not what I was expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I laughed out loud multiple times, and the story is completely amazing in my opinion. Highly recommend if you're wanting a quirky comedy, but it also has very cute moments. LOVED it. I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.
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9/10
They removed the Grumpy old man character of Groundhog Day and added a romantic comedy angle and added some science and there you go.
ansharora-1263810 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Groundhog Day gave us some pretty realistic scenarios about life but still Bill Murray was grumpy as we saw the beginning of his character's curse. Here we don't. We meet Andy aka Nyles when he has already lived the same day for years and have had made peace with it. Cristin aka Sarah, on the other hand is new and starts out grumpy but becomes the adventurous one.

J.K. Simmons is also beautiful in his character, although a short storyline. They took Groundhog Day and added some "stoner existencial crisis" type feels and added a beautiful romantic angle with an appropriate cinematography. This movie works on multiple levels, a weekend watch, a romantic watch and a fun watch. Although, there are some explicit scenes but in all they just add to the overall amusement.

It opened with a bang in Sundance and is surely worth a watch.

Cheers.
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7/10
How to put an original spin on an unoriginal scenario
jakobacummings10 July 2020
Im not gonna spoil anything or say anything else about the movie, if you've watched the trailer your just thinking to yourself "oh another groundhog day". This movie goes beyond what it is intended and leaves you laughing and feeling better than before you watched it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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10/10
Honestly, I didn't expect to love it, but it's a classic.
topherdrewpg10 July 2020
This movie is utterly wonderful. It's heartfelt, romantic, real, and topical. It made me think, laugh, and cry.

The Groundhog Day setup may seem stale, but they get so many fresh ideas out of the concept that it solidifies this film as a future cult classic.

I was never really a Samberg fan. I am now!
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7/10
Ending
lindsaysilveira19 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
After the credits, Did Roy just get Niles to go back to the mountain coz they forgot him?
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8/10
The Samberg-Milioti chemistry and brilliant writing make this a laudable stress-busting romcom, ideal for these trying times
nidhunmoviebuff7 August 2020
#MovieReview #PalmSprings #CristinMilioti #AndySamberg #Hollywood #SpoilerFree #RomCom

Apart from the obvious similarities and their collaboration as a father-son pair in That's My Boy (2012), Andy Samberg is the new Adam Sandler in one more respect-they are such goofballs that their acting chops often go unnoticed.

Samberg is a revelation in Palm Springs in what is easily his career-best role. The Brooklyn Nine-Nine star alongside Cristin Milioti (The Mother from HIMYM) dazzle as a pair of cynical wedding guests stuck in a time loop.

Riding on the legendary coattails of Groundhog Day (1993), Director Max Barbakow still manages to surprise you with some amazing twists and dollops of laugh-out-loud moments, springing up at the places you least expect them to.

Oscar-winner JK Simmons is brilliant as usual in a role that has very little screen time but makes a powerful impact.

A perfect romantic comedy during these tough times. Highly recommended.
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7/10
A good waste of time
AfricanBro24 July 2022
It's a pretty simple movie, nothing memorable but I still like it. They could have easily over-complicated the science or love story it to make it seem more savvy or romantic to leave an impression but they didn't. It's funny but it's not that funny and it's really how I'd imagine most people would spend their days if they were stuck. It's just a fun movie, there's nothing new about the concept but the actors chemistry makes up for it I think. I still have a couple questions like did that grandma know they were stuck when she wished them luck or did the writers just put that in to mess with us? I don't have much to say because it's one of those movies you finish watching and then go on the rest of your day like nothing happened, it's a good watch if you're bored, not many movies are worth a watch and forgettable at the same time.
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8/10
Great and Crazy movie
ethanjjacobs13 April 2021
I've seen lots of movies try to do what Groundhog Day did and completely fail, but this is just as good, it's really weird and really funny and it's not to romantic that it ruins the film. Andy Samberg and Cristin milioti were perfect for this, definitely a movie worth watching.

8.2/10.
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Fresh and enjoyable
Gordon-118 August 2020
It's rare to get a time loop film that is not repetitive, but full of fresh scenes from beginning to the end. The story is fun and it's enjoyable to watch.
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7/10
Simultaneously derivative and surprising (not to mention entertaining)
cliftonofun19 August 2020
I am not sure that time loop movies should be an entire movie genre. I am not sure that we needed another version of Groundhog's Day. I am not sure this movie should have attempted to explain the quantum physics involved in its plot. But I am 100% sure that I enjoyed watching it. I was genuinely amused, surprised, and touched thanks to some pretty great writing and performances. I walked in thinking the movie should not exist, and I walked away glad that it happened anyway. That's a pretty big compliment.
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4/10
Not Good Enough
PennyReviews14 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Palm Springs was an okay movie. Script vice, the movie doesn't really offer anything new. The characters find themselves into a time loop and they just follow every classic rom com trop until the final ending. We don't get to know them, we don't get to understand them, or to understand the whole time loop concept really. The whole thing can be described as generic at best, with some odd touches here and there. The performances, in addition, were okay but nothing special. For all it's worth, it is not a waste of time, but nothing special either.
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8/10
Very Funny & Amusing, Nothing You Haven't Seen Before...
Xstal17 July 2020
... but re-dimensioned in such a way that the films it copies will look a little less appealing next time it comes to replaying them - whether it be in the past, the present or the future.
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