Palm Springs

This review may contain spoilers!

The rom-com might be one of the biggest comeback film genres of recent times in terms of quality. I would give Palm Springs a 7.5/10.

Palm Springs is about Nyles and Sarah, a pair of wedding attendees who become entangled in a 24 hour 'time loop'; while trapped they learn more about themselves and one another than they could've bargained for. I have watched so many romantic-comedies in recent years really flip the genre on its head and redefine what we're watching as an audience. I have to say that right now it might be one of the most thrilling film genres to watch and Palm Springs carries on the trend. Carefully framing and explaining the rules of the time loop, this strange sci-fi phenomenon becomes the rather bizarre and intriguing setting of the film. I enjoyed watching this duo react to their circumstances, they really push quite a realistic take on how the human psyche would respond to the situation while allowing the characters to explore scenarios from the obvious to the insane. Both protagonists test one another and depend on each other for comfort and companionship, they are the only people who can endure their experience and because they support one another they start to grow as characters. The situation really does a fine job of defining the characters and then naturally developing them and their relationship with one another. Seeing Nyles and Sarah learn to understand one another, smash apart their relationship and then tentatively mend it together is one of the true delights of this feature. Plus the movie just manages to be effortlessly funny, the clever wit that a film like this generates is highly enjoyable and well-utilised. The cinematography throughout the feature is really stunning, there's a big focus on framing the characters together and apart quite differently that lends a distinct style to the film. The soundtrack for Palm Springs is a nice blend of party and pop tracks with some nice indie music that sits well with the levity of the film.

Andy Samberg, who played Nyles, really nicely handles the balance between depressed loner and dry wit; Samberg isn't just portraying a naturally comedic lead in this but rather a role who has had to live through an impossible situation completely by himself. J.K. Simmons, who played Roy, is a tough vindictive role who is quite a warped version of what Sarah's character could've been; I liked seeing the more peaceful, reflective side to Roy that Simmons reveals in the final act of the film. Meredith Hagner, who played Misty, is quite funny as Samberg's initial highly strung girlfriend; Hagner plays this role who is comically quite self-absorbed and not very bright.

However, the best performance came from Cristin Milioti, who played Sarah. I have watched Milioti in a few of her more noteworthy television roles in the past but I think this one might just be my favourite performance from her yet. The genuine indifference, rocky exterior and compulsive attitude are our first introductions to Sarah and she is a nice counter to the witty yet mopey, Nyles. Her very intense reaction to Nyles getting attacked and then subsequently pulling her into the 'time loop' really sets the mark for the rest of the feature, it's a moment that refuses to be like any other film you've seen before. Milioti really frames Sarah as someone who is good at not confronting her problems, she has a lot of guilt over irresponsible actions she has taken in the past and her impulse to run is a big part of her character. The arc of seeing Milioti confront Nyles (Samberg) over his inaction and then taking charge of leaving the time loop in a smart and determined way is such a meaningful display of character development. Also, in case there was any doubt at all, Milioti's Sarah is freaking hilarious; she gets to really go for it in some scenes and you can tell she has a lot to give. Just a brilliant role whom I really connected with.

The fallibility of blending the rom-com film with your sci-fi 'time loop' is that you eventually have to actually talk about that anomaly in a little detail. This is where the film loses itself slightly, suddenly the explanation of the science behind the loop and having a character actively researching how to leave it gets a little too straight-edged for what we're watching. The exposition heavy scenes around deconstructing the loop dull the tone and disrupts the final act in a pretty big way. The film also doesn't always handle the serious storyline with the comedic scenes very well, sometimes undermining a key scene for the sake of a weak or unnecessary punchline. The editing for the film doesn't have much style to it, the film has a very standard style of cutting and transitioning from shot to shot. The score for the feature doesn't quite hold up as strongly as the soundtrack, this hangs in the background but isn't crucial to tying the scenes together.

Peter Gallagher and Jacqueline Obradors, who played Howard and Pia respectively, are quite generic in the father and mother roles; their approach to scenes is quite a mundane boiling down of events and they don't get much opportunity to be funny in their own right. Camila Mendes and Tyler Hoechlin, who played Tala and Abe respectively, really have little emotion or presence for being such a focal point of the film; it's particularly disappointing with Mendes who seems to be portraying the figure of a sister as opposed to an actual sister character.