Ben Oliver

Banner image for Palm Springs
film

Palm Springs

What if we get sick of each other?
09 August 2020

Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti are stuck in a timeloop at a wedding. Each time they fall asleep, the day begins again.

The Groundhog Day concept has been done so many times now but this one makes a slight adjustment that unlocks infinite possibilities for a screenplay—instead of one person stuck, there are two. Why has no one thought of this before?

What’s more, the film kicks off with Samberg already in the time loop—another small change to the formula that makes it feel like a fresh idea.

Imagine being stuck in the same limbo with the same person forever. Imagine the rest of the world fading away into sideshow characters. Imagine making a mistake that you have to re-live every time you wake up. It’s a great idea worth exploring, and Barbakow nails the execution in Palm Springs.

A funny, smart and (somehow) novel film that cuts close to the bone in our current lockdown predicament.

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