Movie Time: Palm Springs

Today's movie themed post is about that old sci-fi trope known as a time loop.

It's Movie Time! 

Today's movie themed post is about that old sci-fi trope known as a time loop.

It's Movie Time! 

Today's movie themed post is about that old sci-fi trope known as a time loop.

It's Movie Time! 

Today's movie themed post is about that old sci-fi trope known as a time....

NOW CUT THAT OUT!!!

From 2020, it's Palm Springs.

As we jump into the deets about living the same damn day over and over, there may be comparisons to the film many regard as the master class of living in a time loop, Groundhog Day. 

For a guy who likes movies and has seen a lot of them, I have a somewhat embarrassing confession to make: I've never watched Groundhog Day. 

I've seen clips and scenes and what not, enough that I understand what Groundhog Day is about and could fake my way through a conversation about it and appear knowledgeable.

But I've never actually sat down to watch the dang them from beginning to end.

It's not that I don't want to. I would really like to carve out some time to watch Groundhog Day. I think it's something I would enjoy.

I just haven't gotten around to it.

I've had a similar experience with Palm Springs.  

I've seen several clips online with Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti that have piqued by interest to want to watch this movie.

I'm big fans of both Samberg and Milioti.

One recent Saturday morning when I had more important things on my to-do list, I stumbled across this movie on Hulu and said, "Fuck it! I'm gonna finally watch this damn thing!"

So here we go!

• It's November 9th in Palm Springs.
• It's the big wedding day for Tala and Abe. 

Not so much for Nyles.  

Nyles wakes up dull and miserable and fails to consummate sex with his girlfriend Misty.

He spends the morning idly floating in the pool, drinking beer.

That evening, he wanders around Tala and Abe's wedding reception. 

The only person that seems to pique his interest is Sarah, Tala's depressed half-sister and maid of honor.

Nyles and Sarah leave the party to have sex in the nearby desert. A carnal connection cut short when a mysterious assailant shoots Nyles with arrows.  

Nyles crawls into a cave, warning Sarah not to follow him.

Worried about Nyles, Sarah does follow him into the cave when...

Sarah wakes up.

• It's November 9th in Palm Springs.
• It's the big wedding day for Tala and Abe. 

Sarah confronts Nyles about what the hell happened to her?

Nyles explains that by following him into the cave, Sarah is now trapped in the same time loop he's been caught in for a very long time.

Every day is November 9th.

No matter what happens, if you fall asleep or even die, time resets and...

It's November 9th in Palm Springs.

It's the big wedding day for Tala and Abe. 

Sarah is determined not to be trapped in this time loop.

She leaves Palm Springs to travel back to her apartment in Austin TX.  Exhausted, she falls asleep and...

It's November 9th in Palm Springs.

It's the big wedding day for Tala and Abe. 

Sarah drives her car into an oncoming semi truck.

Nyles explains they cannot die but pain is still a thing. It hurts to die. 

And it doesn't work because...

It's November 9th in Palm Springs.

It's the big wedding day for Tala and Abe. 

Hey, who is the guy with the arrows?

Nyles explains that's Roy, a guy that Nyles accidentally got stuck in the time loop. Roy periodically makes the trek back from Irvine CA to torture Nyles.  Nyles can't stay dead but again, pain is real and still a thing and no matter what Roy does to Nyles...

It's November 9th in Palm Springs.

It's the big wedding day for Tala and Abe. 

Stuck in the time loop for a long time, Nyles has become complacent and nihilistic, giving up hope of ever getting out.

For a time, Sarah aligns herself with Nyles to enjoy a life free of consequence.  Random acts of drunken vandalism.  A little grand theft auto. (No, not the game. Actually stealing cars.) Telling people what they really think.  Nyles and Sarah actually seem to be having a good time in their eternal November 9th.

When the day resets back to November 9th, Nyles wakes up with a smile, content in the knowledge he's going to spend the day with Sarah. 

After another attack by Roy to make Nyles suffer, Sarah decides it's time once and for all to break the cycle and get the hell out of this time loop.

Sarah retreats from Nyles to spend her repeating November 9th lost in books on quantum physics.  She takes online classes. She debates her professors. 

Sarah is becoming a certified genius in quantum physics.

And damned if she hasn't scienced the shit out of a way out of the time loop.

Sarah share her plan with Nyles who is frightened by the plan.

The plan involves going back into the cave and blowing themselves up with C4 explosives. 

Sarah cannot confirm if the resulting explosion will move them forward in time to November 10th.

Or it just kills them. 

But she knows it will break the time loop.

But it's not just the risk of permanent extinction that Nyles is afraid of.

Nyles is in love with Sarah and whatever this hell is that it's always November 9th is bearable with her.  He'll even cop to being happy. 

Sarah calls bullshit on this. The one woman he's stuck in a time loop with and he's in love with her? 

What happens next? 

Hey, I gotta a leave some surprises.  

Palm Springs is a really good movie and I recommend giving it a watch if you can.  Andy Samberg gives an impressive performance and I have down for almost anything Cristin Milioti is in. How does she do that thing with her eyes? It's like they inflate!

And the time loop shenanigans prompt some rather unexpectedly deep examination of philosophy and morality.

I really enjoyed this movie.   

A sentiment shared by others.  

• At the 78th Golden Globe Awards, Palm Springs earned two nominations: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Samberg. 
• Palm Springs won Best Comedy at the 26th Critics' Choice Awards.
• Palm Springs has a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 94%.
• Metacritic gives the film has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100.  
• Writing for IndieWire, David Ehrlich gave Palm Springs a grade B+ and praised the film for cleverly reworking the Groundhog Day formula.  
• Peter Debruge of Variety and Vince Mancini of Uproxx gave the film  positive reviews.
• IGN named Palm Springs their Best Movie of the Year 2020.

OK, I'm on the verge of overselling this movie.  

It's not the greatest thing since sliced bread, OK? 

But I think Palm Springs is a very well made and extremely interesting film.