Palm Springs: Movie Review

"Palm Springs" breathes new life into the concept of time loops. With a heavy dose of comedy and a non-chalant take on the concept itself, this romance-comedy had everything - from laugh out loud moments to scenes that will tug at your heartstrings.

It's November 9 and the wedding day of Tala and Abe. Nyles (Andy Samberg), the boyfriend of Misty, delivers a flawless speech - which shocks everyone at the reception. This also grabs the attention of Sarah (Cristin Milioti), the bride's older sister and the maid of honor. The two hit it off together and are about to do it but someone calling himself Roy suddenly hurts Nyles. Nyles finds solace in a cave as Sarah follows him. Both are sucked into a vortex and Sarah finds herself back at the start of November 9. Nyles soon reveals that they are forever stuck in reliving November 9 which he has been dealing thousands if not a million times at that point.

"Palm Springs" did one thing right and that it doesn't take its subject matter too seriously. Like its characters, being stuck in a time loop doesn't mean it needs to have a purpose but you just enjoy it and go with the flow. It's the kind of comedy Andy Samberg is known for and it works surprisingly great in "Palm Springs". Outside its highly-entertaining comedy, "Palm Springs" actually had excellent writing. The story itself had enough surprises to keep the 90 minute experience jam-packed full of references and jaw-dropping reveals. It's actually a film that has a few note-worthy takes on the concept of time-loop specifically on how characters must relate to the other people around them that we have never seen tackled anywhere else. For a comedy film, this also had some emotional (but light) moments that we didn't even expect. "Palm Springs" was a memorable romance comedy experience not because it involves a time loop but because it was able to mix great comedy with smart writing in one neat package.

Rating: 4 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- great comedy and even better writing

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- it might not please those who want something more substantial from a film