Review: Palm Springs

Image courtesy of Hulu.

The sci-fi rom com "Palm Springs" may be an extended riff on better source material - the Harold Ramis classic "Groundhog Day" - but it has its own share of surprises, some genuinely funny sequences and a personality of its own.

The film opens with a character named Nyles (Andy Samberg) awakening in a hotel room to the sound of his much younger girlfriend's voice. As it turns out, they are in Palm Springs for a wedding, but from the first few scenes something seems off. At the wedding reception, Nyles saves a young woman named Sarah (Cristin Milioti) - the sister of the bride - from her unpreparedness when it's time to give a speech. Later, the two nearly hook up in the desert until, well, something interrupts them.

I won't go into too much detail, but suffice it to say that the bizarre - and bloody - way their sojourn to the desert ends up is no matter. They get another chance. And then another. And another. Yes, much like "Groundhog Day," Nyles and Sarah end up reliving the same day - Sarah's sister's wedding day - after Sarah follows Nyles into a cave that sets this scenario into motion.

When we meet Nyles at the beginning of the film, he's already been reliving the day for some time, so Sarah is the new person to the scenario - and J.K. Simmons plays an angry wedding guest named Roy who blames Nyles for also bringing him into the loop. Much like Ramis's film, the characters go from shock to nihilism and, ultimately, try to figure out how to get out of the loop - but unlike Ramis's film, benevolence doesn't help much.

There's some great comedy to be had as a result - especially Nyles's rundown  of with whom he's slept at the wedding during the course of his repeating the day and another scene involving some feces on a lawn (trust me on that one). There's also a solid supporting roster of characters in the film, including the wedding's other guests and a bar full of bikers and old drunks where Nyles and Sarah tend to end up after failing to unravel the mystery of how to break the time loop.

Quantum physics is later brought into the story - and there's a post-credits sequence involving several of the characters that doesn't exactly add up - but the plot mechanics here aren't exactly the driving force. Instead, the chemistry between Nyles and Sarah, who's just as game to the antics in which one can become involved when forced to relive the same scenes over and over again, is what makes it work.

There's also some philosophizing in the picture that might cause you to examine how you'd handle such a situation. Should one take the nihilistic approach and merely do whatever your heart desires since your actions seemingly have no consequences? Or, should one aim to be kind to others and learn from one's mistakes? In the case of Nyles and Sarah, the question is raised whether it's worth it to actually take the time to get to know someone in such a situation, or whether having a romantic relationship can be a dangerous thing if you're literally stuck with someone indefinitely with no means of escape.

"Palm Springs" is a fun movie. Although one could argue that it steals the setup for a much better film, it takes the concept and runs with it in its own directions - and as a result, it remains amusing, occasionally charming, often funny and even thoughtful. While the film lacks somewhat in the originality of its storytelling device, it more than makes up for it in execution.