Palm Springs

Palm Springs
Starring Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons, Meredith Hagner
Directed by Max Barbakow

The romantic comedy subgenre has always been my least favorite, because it follows a highly predictable formula: two opposites meet, fight, find connection, fall in love, encounter a complication in the budding relationship that threatens their happily ever after, find a solution to the complication, and live happily ever after. There's been a very few romantic comedies that I've really enjoyed, so when I heard about "Palm Springs" last year, I put it on the back-burner, despite the fact that it received rave reviews and seemed really enjoyable. Since it received a few Golden Globe nominations, I figured it was time for me to suffer my way through it - and instead of it being a chore, I found myself totally immersed in the story, and it has become one of my favorite romantic comedies.

Sarah Wilder (Cristin Milioti) is enduring her sister's wedding despite showcasing an outward icy reception to the entire ordeal, as she hides behind alcohol and self-loathing during the reception. As she's about to give a speech she forgot about, Nyles (Andy Samberg), the boyfriend of a fellow bridesmaid, interrupts and gives his own speech that floors the audience. Afterward, the two connect in the desert before mysterious man Roy (J.K. Simmons) emerges from the brush to shoot Nyles with an arrow. Fearing for his life, Sarah follows the two men to a mysterious glowing cave, and despite Nyles's pleas for her to not go in, she does.

Then she wakes up in bed, realizing that it's the same day all over again. She tracks down Nyles who tells her that the cave was the entrance to an eternal time loop, and he's been living the same day over and over for a long time already, along with Roy, whom he pulled in with him one drug-inducing night. Now Sarah is also in the loop, and wants to find a way out - but Nyles is happy in this loop: he has no responsibilities, can do whatever he wants, can't die (if he does die he just wakes up again), and is comfortable with the meaninglessness of life.

As Sarah tries different methods to get out of the loop, she finds that she can't, and begins to subscribe to Nyles's way of living. The two embark on several adventures together and they begin to grow closer, one reason being they're the only ones (besides Roy, who continually wants to kill Nyles for bringing him into the loop) who are in this loop, but also due to their own chemistry. However, when secrets come to light - and Sarah possibly finding a way out - Nyles feels that he might be loosing not just the love of his life, but the comfortable existence he's created for himself inside the loop.

Perhaps it has to do with the science fiction theme of an infinite time loop, but I found "Palm Springs" more entertaining than other rom-coms - and actually it's not "perhaps" true but entirely true, as the concept has been done before ("Groundhog Day," "Edge of Tomorrow," "Happy Death Day"), but it hasn't been explored in this type of manner: not only is it a romantic comedy instead of dramedy, action, or horror, but the entire existence of the loop itself is vastly different - Nyles doesn't want to leave. And as we witness the life he gets to live in it, we ask ourselves: "would we want to leave either?" Personally, I find more positives with being stuck in the loop than out of it - while it's a limbo of sorts where you never die...you also never die. You experience pain, but it all goes away the next day. You can do what you want, when you want, with who you want, and there's no repercussions. Nyles seemed to be living his best life - and then he fell in love, which is a pesky little thing.

Sarah and Nyles have vastly different personalities: Sarah is solemn, sarcastic, and pessimistic, while Nyles is optimistic, lively, and sincere, and of course these differing personalities clash and connect as you'd expect from a romcom like this: but there's a difference. This difference is in the performances of Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, who have a natural chemistry with one another and serve as a couple you can really get behind. Their screen time together is refreshing, light-hearted, and exceptionally funny, so it's natural to understand why Nyles wouldn't want to lose her and struggle with leaving his loop of luxury to face an uncertain future. Yet that's just one hurdle the couple faces, while the other is much more generic in the form of a traditional romcom hurdle that could've been remedied quite easily, but of course then it wouldn't be a traditional romcom.

Besides Samberg and Milioti, there's a huge supporting cast who also add to the humor and heart of the film. J.K. Simmons hams it up as the Wile E. Coyote to Nyles's Road Runner as he constantly tries to kill him in often humorous ways, yet he also has a moment of real reflection and passion that proves why he's this way. Meredith Hagner plays Misty, Nyles's girlfriend who's incredibly ditzy and self-absorbed and has a lot of fun with the script. Peter Gallagher, Camila Mendes, Tyler Hoechlin and Dale Dickey also give fantastic performances that add to not just the comedy of the film, but the melancholy it also supplies in hidden measure.

Filled with great performances and a strong chemistry between Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti - plus a sci-fi aspect to boot - "Palm Springs" raises itself above the traditional romantic-comedy trappings and offers a unique tale filled with gut-busting humor, sincere heart, and intriguing concepts.

The Score: A