Two wedding guests (Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti) become trapped in an infinite time loop, reliving the same day over and over again in Hulu’s newest romantic comedy, Palm Springs.
For a sweet spot runtime of 90 minutes, Palm Springs is the stuff streaming dreams are made of.
It’s entertaining, goofy and full of zainy laughable moments. However, it also has its moments of philosophical depth and sweetness (it is a romantic comedy after all).
But here’s the thing. We’ve seen time loop storylines before. From Groundhog Day to Netflix’s hit series, Russian Doll, they are all the kind of the same. Person relives the same day repeatedly until finding the road to salvation by being selfless and loving.
Palm Springs follows the same predictable formula however, it is a hell of a lot weirder. Like there are dinosaurs in it, kind of weird.
But what can you expect from a comedy where the leading man is Andy Samberg.
In all honesty, I don’t really like Andy Samberg as an actor (with the exception of his earlier SNL days), so I could have probably done without his typical obnoxiousness, however it is Cristin Milioti who is the real stand out.
Milioti is effortlessly hilarious, joyful and super lovable. But she also captures the fragility of her character’s depression and loneliness with such realness.
There is also a great performance from the always talented J.K. Simmons, who plays a VERY angry man who has a grudge against Samberg’s character.
But at the end of the day, Palm Springs is easy and breezy, just like a summer day by the pool. It’s exactly what you’d expect.
And that’s what you want from a streaming romantic comedy when you’re stuck in a pandemic.
Final Thoughts: Palm Springs is a warm, feel-good, romantic comedy. It’s nothing new but it’s a fun watch.
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