'Palm Springs' Is Probably the Greatest Stuck-in-a-Time-Loop Rom-Com Film Ever

Palm Springs follows two wedding guests who get stuck in a time loop, forced to relive the wedding day again and again.  As they basically go through eternity, romance blooms between them.

That’s the movie in a nutshell.  And I recommend that you just watch it without knowing more.  It’s a movie worth watching without knowing much what it’s going to be about.  But if you really want to know more details or have already seen it, then please continue reading this review.

The couple around which this movie revolves is Nyles (Adam Samberg), the plus-one of one of the bridesmaids, and Sarah (Cristin Milioti), the maid-of-honor and sister of the bride.  Samberg and Milioti have wonderful chemistry, and played these characters wonderfully.  As a result, they are quite compelling, making the audience easily empathize and root for them and invest on their arcs.

Meanwhile, notable supporting characters are the bride Tala (Camila Mendes, Riverdale’s Veronica Lodge), the groom Abe (Tyler Hoechin, Supergirl’s Clark Kent/Superman), and Roy (J.K. Simmons), a guest in the wedding who also got stuck in the time loop and blames Nyles for it that he occasionally comes once in a while to hunt down Nyles for revenge.

When done right, stuck-in-a-time loop stories are extremely enjoyable.  And Palm Springs does it excellently. Well-directed and well-written, the storytelling is utterly witty, efficient, thoughtful, and absorbing.  There are strong twists-and-turns, which not only generate genuine surprises, but provide depth as well.  None of the loops feel tediously repetitive.  And its jokes hit as potently as it hits you right in the feels.

Just like with the case of other stuck-in-a-time-loop movies, one can’t help but compare it to Groundhog Day, which is the gold standard.  Palm Springs definitely hits many of the beats and themes that made Groundhog Day appealing.  It sees the characters doing all the interesting stuff that can come out of stuck-in-a-loop situation, including goofing around, reveling in reckless and wild behavior because of the lack of consequences, engaging in existential ponderings, and – my favorite – undergoing self-improvement, whether in skill or character.

At the same time, Palm Springs also does have its own original and clever tweaks to the formula that allow it to be delightful and distinctive on its own.  For example, a refreshing choice that this movie does is start off with Nyles in the middle of his cycle, having been trapped in the time loop for a long, long time already.  Meanwhile, Sarah is the one whom the audience get to see enter the loop for the first time, functioning as audience surrogate.  This creates a dynamic between them that allows the information dump for the set-up to unfold in a truly stimulating manner.

I really can’t think of anything I didn’t like about Palm Springs.  I totally love it.  It’s probably the best romantic comedy movie that has a stuck-in-a-time-loop twist.

Yes, Groundhog Day is superior.  But, although it has romance going for it, I don’t think it’s a rom-com.  The romance is an integral part of it, sure, but it’s incidental to its main story arc – which is purely centered on Phil Connor’s character development.  Thus, considering that, Palm Springs can take the title of being the greatest stuck-in-a-time-loop rom-com film of all time.