Lost in Perpetuity: A "Palm Springs" Study and Review

*WARNING: Mild spoilers ahead*

You awaken in a groggy haze. Struggling to reclaim your bearings from what seemed like an oddly vivid dream, you shuffle out of bed but feel an unshakable sense of déjà vu as you take in your surroundings—you’ve been here before. Is your mind playing tricks on you? Or are you stuck in some strange, inescapable vortex somewhere in the folds of time? Believe it or not, I’m not actually referring to any given morning in quarantine; I’m talking about Max Barbakow’s latest Hulu Original that just set a streaming record for biggest opening weekend, Palm Springs starring Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg.

This sun drenched sci-fi/rom-com revolves (literally) around Nyles and Sarah, an unlikely pair whose chance encounter at a Palm Desert wedding quickly spirals out of control when they find themselves trapped in an infinite time-loop where both are fated to relive the same day over and over again. Ripe with Lonely Island-esque comedic silliness but taking solemn influence from the seminal films that paved its way (specifically Groundhog Day), this film breathes new life into a decades-old concept by doubling up the lessons to be learned.

The Structure

From a narrative standpoint, Palm Springs ideally seeks to explore the idea of personal growth by disguising itself with a high-concept premise. Structurally speaking, time loop movies usually follow a flawed character who, by some twist of fate, becomes doomed to repeat their actions in perpetuity until they manage to learn the life lessons necessary to get it all just right. In a way, the protagonist usually finds themselves stuck in a personal hell of their own design that, by being given the opportunity to try it all over again, highlights the futility in running away from internal conflicts that they can’t or don’t want to confront. While Nyles and Sarah’s predicament can be considered “supernatural”, its underlying heart is always rooted in the human struggle—therein lies relatability.

A major factor that distinguishes Palm Springs is how it blends its sci-fi element with a vastly opposing genre so seamlessly; while this film executes on the basic structure of a time loop narrative, its romantic comedy never feels overshadowed. The rom-com structure begins with a fundamental difference in philosophies about the way our two protagonists live their life: while cynical Sarah’s (Milioti) turbulent life choices leads her to doubt the existence of true love, carefree Nyles (Samberg) chooses to live by a code of total complacency. This duality that separates them as individuals is ultimately what draws them closer together as they learn to tolerate and gain insights from one another.

Despite its bold creative choices, the film manages to maintain a consistent tone throughout by not getting lost in the minutia of its mechanics. With a tightly written screenplay by AFI alum Andy Siara, the film’s multi-layered characters navigate their existential oasis with profound morality like few would ever come to expect from a movie that so prominently features Andy Samberg being chased butt-naked down a mountain by a sadist with a crossbow. Palm Springs is everything that it sets out to be (and maybe more) by reinforcing its ability to balance clever tonal shifts while simultaneously serving as an inward reflection on what it means to live and love in what seems like the neverending continuum of life.

The Cast

With standout lead performances turned in by Samberg and Milioti, both get the chance to showcase multi-dimensional acting chops that are largely unexplored in their mainstream repertoire. Together they bring life to Nyles and Sarah—their crude humor, while typical of any Lonely Island-produced film, is cleverly counterbalanced with an equal measure of emotional depth that underlines their palpable onscreen chemistry.

Backed by a deep supporting bench in Peter Gallagher, Camila Mendes, Meredith Hagner, June Squibb, Tyler Hoechlin and most notably, J.K. Simmons in one of the most comically appropriate roles of his career as the slightly deranged Roy, each maximize their presence in our duo’s ever-repeating world by helping provide context, comedic relief, ethical reflection and living subjects to the film’s philosophical question: “if you could live every day without any relative consequence, how would you choose to spend your time?”.

The Breakdown

While Barbakow’s sun-soaked fantasy world is densely loaded with moral principle, radiant aesthetic composition, gut-busting humor and an extremely likeable collection of complex characters, its timely release on a major streaming platform might just be what makes Palm Springs the perfect snapshot of our strange Summer. While Nyles and Sarah’s raucous hellscape plays out like premier genre filmmaking, their unfolding struggles mirror tangible life issues that almost everyone has had to confront in some form or fashion these past few months—but amidst the gloom of modern uncertainty, one of the film’s most resonant lessons might just help us cope with our struggles by reminding us a key essence of finding happiness within ourselves: being stuck doesn’t mean we can’t live.