★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Since last year felt like one long day with no discernible start or end, a time loop movie isn’t the kind of thing we wanted to watch right now. Combined with the fact that this genre is ironically very overplayed with little distinction between films, we didn’t have high expectations that Palm Springs would bring too much life to the party despite Andy Samberg’s comedy chops.

Thankfully, Palm Springs was refreshing, fun, and innovative. The tired tropes and setup typical of time loop movies are quickly dealt with, leaving the audience time to focus on the chemistry between Niles (Samberg) and Sarah (Cristin Milioti). The two leads are a shot of energy in an otherwise boring day, their antics becoming wilder and wilder as they try and find new ways to keep themselves entertained as they live the eternal loop of life.

While the film does struggle logically (but really, what time travel film doesn’t?), the writing and acting are so sparkly that it’s easy not to care about the scientific inaccuracies. The characters themselves don’t spend too long questioning why or how this situation has come to be, instead choosing to embrace what they are given and turn life back into the adventure it is meant to be. Hopefully once we are all out of the time soup that is COVID-19, this film will have a run through local theatres so we can experience this gem with friends, popcorn, and a big screen as it was clearly intended to be seen.

Check out our (slightly more) in depth podcast review + rating below! Podcast music by Brian K.S. Cole.

Podcast Links + Mentions:

Nick recommends pairing this with pizza and a piña colada (or maybe both combined as one). Jess recommends pairing this film with Happy Death Day, a huge bowl of Doritos that refills itself, and several shots of espresso.