These days, many of us wonder what the point of life is. We have trouble finding a purpose because many have led us to believe there is none. It can be hard to find your purpose in life when things are so uncertain about the future, especially right now. Some of us feel like there’s really no reason to carry on; that it’s better to accept that things won’t get better rather than doing anything to change this.
That brings us to Nyles (Andy Samberg), a man who is at the wedding of his girlfriend’s best friend. Throughout the day, he seems like he doesn’t care about life. He nonchalantly floats through the day, acting as an emotionless bystander to the event. But when he has a frisky encounter with the bride’s older sister Sarah (Cristin Milioti), he unintentionally brings her into the very thing that has caused his listless demeanor. Turns out, Nyles is trapped in a time loop, caused by a mysterious vortex in a nearby cave. He has been reliving the day of the wedding for god knows how long, always returning to the start of that day when he falls asleep. Because of how long he’s been trapped, he knows every single detail of the events that play in and around the general area. Having to relive everything over and over has forced him to accept the reality that escape is futile, and he’ll be forced to live this day for all eternity. And now, Sarah is trapped in the loop with him. At first, she is unable to accept their predicament. She tries several attempts to escape, including taking her own life. But all of these just result in her waking up at the start of the day again. The two decide to make the most of a day that always resets, living out their wildest dreams without consequence. But the longer they loop back, the more they seem to be growing together. And they’ll soon come to realize that their buddying chemistry may be the key to escaping their quantum prison. The time loop concept has been done to death, with several different genres tackling the concept and how it works. It would seem like there’s nothing left to do with this idea. But here comes Palm Springs, the kind of a film you wouldn’t expect to work. And yet, despite my expectations, it’s one of the sharpest and most hilarious films in a long time. It’s a movie that manages to put a smile on your face that never goes away, and that’s a hard thing to accomplish. Much of this comes from Samberg’s performance. His character is what much of the humor plays on. He’s been trapped in the time loop for so long (it’s never stated how long, though they imply several years) that he just doesn’t care anymore. He casually cuts in on important events, plays pranks on the various attendees, and generally mopes around about the futility of his situation. You would think that would make for a really annoying protagonist, but there’s something kind of endearing about watching him live the same day again and again. His sentiments about the time loop cleverly mirror many people’s gripes about life itself. This turns him into a very relatable guy. As someone who has fears about the future, I really identify with Nyles’s desire to just give up and let whatever happens happen. And watching him grow from listless mope to selfless optimist makes him someone to root for. He also gets lots of mileage out of his chemistry with Milioti. The two leads work well with each other; with Milioti’s desperate attempts to escape the loop clashing well with Samberg’s carefree personality. It’s their opposite dynamics and character arcs that make them such a great pair, and when they start to develop feelings for each other, we really feel a connection between the two polar opposites. This especially comes from a montage of them playing various pranks at the wedding or at a local bar, which is so hilarious you might have a hard time paying attention to all of the jokes coming your way. The film also does an amazing job balancing several different tones. Many comedies today have dark edges to them involving casual violence, and this movie is no different. There’s a subplot where we learn that Nyles also trapped a partygoer named Roy (played by J.K. Simmons) in the loop. Roy takes out his anger over their situation by periodically hunting Nyles for revenge, which leads to scenes where he is shot with arrows or methodically tortured. What makes these scenes work is that they’re woven into the story. Many violent scenes in dark comedies come out of nowhere, expecting us to laugh at the characters because of how shocking their injuries/deaths are. In this movie, we understand that both Nyles and Roy have been trapped in the loop for a long time. We understand why Roy hates Nyles to the point of violently hunting him down like a prized dear. The random acts of violence are justified, and as a result, they gel with the tone and get better laughs. Palm Springs has a lot to say about the dangers of giving up on life. It smartly uses the time loop concept to tell a very heartwarming story about finding your purpose. You can’t just wait for something to happen; you have to find it yourself. Samberg and Milioti mine great humor out of their great chemistry, and the film melds the light-hearted and dark-witted sides of its story better than other comedies. All of this results in one of the funniest films in a long time, and something that will definitely put a smile on your face, even in these current times.
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