New movies are kinda hard to come by right now but, for better or worse, they have a fairly captive audience when they do. Palm Springs had some big shoes to fill but pulled it off surprisingly well, with plenty of heart that earned it a Grand Jury Prize nomination at Sundance as well.
Groundhog Day exists as an example of a film with no real weaknesses. So, when you plan on taking that idea and reinventing a story around it, you’d better do it right. Maybe my expectations were low (they were) but I was more than pleasantly surprised by this movie.
I have never been a big fan of Andy Samberg but he showed more layers in this performance than I’d seen out of him in the past. The sense of humor we’re all accustomed to is still there but thanks to a solid screenplay by Andy Siara and guided direction by Max Barbakow, this was a much more refined performance. The stylistic approach eases us into the premise, capitalizing on Samberg’s reputation to set the tone early and allowing him to build a genuine rapport with the audience.
Cristin Milioti deserves a lot of credit as well, her strong performance opposite Samberg helps to ground a rather far fetched premise and provide credibility to the relationship at the center of the story. The role as the “screw-up” sister of the bride was designed with room for growth but her portrayal makes that character arc worthwhile. She also provides the SNL alum with a worthy sparring partner and, surprisingly, their chemistry works really well. She had a great turn on Amazon’s Modern Love but this could very well be her breakthrough performance.
This was a highly enjoyable role for the venerable J.K Simmons. You really get to see him cut loose on a drug-fueled bender and it’s a lot of fun. Peter Gallagher pops up in a paternal role but I would have liked to see him more directly involved. It was the kind of role that really could have gone to anybody and after watching him on Grace and Frankie, more could have been done with is casting.
There’s never any substantial explanation for what’s going on but it’s solving that particular mystery isn’t what the movie is about. As the viewer, all you need to know is there is a time loop while the moral of the story is more about the tendency to repeat bad behaviors and the transformative power of breaking those patterns. It’s a surprisingly fitting allegory for the current times and was a pleasant entry in a landscape that’s devoid of new movies. For the current cinema-space, Hulu really scored with the distribution rights.
Recommendation: There aren’t a lot of options when it comes to new movies (and while that may have an effect on my perception) but this movie hits all the right marks. It’s funny, entertaining, and has a big heart. It’s just what the doctor ordered for the stay-at-home movie audience.