Palm Springs Review: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti's whimsical chemistry results in unconventional romcom take

Palm Springs

Palm Springs Cast: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J. K. Simmons

Palm Springs Director: Max Barbakow

Palm Springs Stars: 3.5/5

Imagine Groundhog Day but with an equal dosage of quirky romance interspersed on a time loop while Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti enthral us with their picture-perfect chemistry. That's Max Barbakow's Palm Springs for you in a nutshell! Add in an existential crisis storyline, and we're showcased a romantic comedy with an actual delectable twist, the sci-fi kind.

Yes, both genres; romantic comedies and time loop films - have gone through the rigmarole of "been there, seen that," but Andy Siara and Max Barbakow's clever, witty story has that certain spark that makes Palm Springs enjoyable. In my book, the movie is amongst the best rom coms to make its way in recent time, and we've been given one too many of those on a silver platter. Palm Springs makes you ponder; Would you rather live life as is, with a past, present and an uncertain future or would you rather stay on a time loop to one specific day but are able to do anything and everything, and I mean, anything and everything?

As for the lesson we take back from Palm Springs, no matter how shitty life gets, it's always nice "to suffer existence" with a significant other. Better yet, if they share the same pessimism about life, love and all its quirks. As for the intriguing storyline, with a setting of a November 9 wedding at the barren expanse of Palm Springs, Nyles (Andy Samberg) and Sarah (Cristin Milioti) have instant sparks at the latter's younger sister Tala (Camila Mendes) and Abe's (Tyler Hoechlin) wedding. Thanks to their numbness to "debilitating emotional distress," the two proceed to eventually hook up but a wild encounter with an unknown man named Roy (J.K. Simmons), makes the sexy meet-cute, well, not so cute and definitely not sexy.

Owing to the series of unfortunate events, Sarah finds herself back on the November 9 timestamp and justifiably freaks out on Nyles. It's then made known that the two are stuck in a time loop. While initially resistant, Sarah finds herself intrigued with the idea of doing anything her heart desires, minus the guilt, because it won't matter the next day, which in the duo's case, is today, yesterday and all their collective days. This includes getting drunk and stoned (and driving!), making a scene at the bar, getting hit by a truck, messing with police officers, etc.

All good things are, unfortunately, not meant to last and the time loop funk eventually wears off for Sarah, which puts her at odds with Nyles, who has succumbed to his neverending fate but is also deeply attracted to his new confidante. It's especially hard because both develop feelings for each other. Andy and Cristin are very much a match made in cinematic heaven as Milioti matches Samberg's man child antics with her crazy rebel shenanigans. 

Andy deftly portrays Nyles with charming wit and I honestly want to know, how is that man 43 because he doesn't look a year older than 30! On the other hand, Cristin adds emotional gravitas without sounding preachy and navigates Sarah's stages of embracing her impromptu new life. Both Samberg and Milioti make their characters so likeable, that I couldn't help myself from rooting for the two to get their happy ending, whatever that might be. There's a reason why they grow fond of the time loop, connecting to their past selves and the decisions made back then and it's portrayed with careless tenderness.

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When it's J.K. Simmons, any role you give him, he turns it into gold and in Palm Springs, Roy is hellishly hilarious and eerily familiar to Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) of Ted Lasso in the personality aspect. Simmons looks like he had a baller of time playing Roy and it shows on-screen. While Meredith is in charge of filler comedy (and does a strikingly good job at it!), Camila and Tyler don't really have much to play with as do Peter Gallagher and Jacqueline Obradors as Sarah and Tala's father and stepmother, Howard and Pia.

As I mentioned before, Siara and Barbakow's crisp script adds a new, different and welcome dimension to both romantic comedies and time loop films as, throughout the movie, you'll be wondering: Can it get any crazier? Answer: It does! Barring the god awful CGI effects, especially the fire-induced cave, with some forgivable narrative directions, Palm Springs makes a couple's existential crisis warm-hearted and bonkers at the same time. If you'd have just read the plot summary, you'd expect it to be a serious drama but it's the opposite of that. Especially in the times of a COVID-19 pandemic, we could really do with some hopeless kind of love that perseveres, even when on a time loop.