Gave a watch to the new Hulu original film Palm Springs. This is, frankly, a Groundhog Day movie… a time loop comedy. That’s about all I knew going in – that and its good reviews – so I was pleasantly surprised it was also a good variation on the theme. A good variant that brings in fresh new ideas or changes to the sub-genre.
Without going into spoilers, Palm Springs is about a person stuck in a time loop at a Palm Springs wedding. The film stars Andy Samberg who brings his slacker manchild persona to the repeating day gimmick. So even if it has a lot in common with Groundhog day, his shtick feels very different from Bill Murray’s arch cynicism. But the two movies do follow some of the same tropes… stuck in a loop for an unknown amount of time, doing different things to pass the time, attempting suicide out of desperation, learning new skills, etc. It just does it with a bit more of a goofy sense of humor.
Which isn’t to say the movie doesn’t have heart. It actually does and I was surprised that Samberg was able to pull it off. I generally like the guy, but calling him emotionally complex would normally be an exaggeration. It’s just not in his usual retinue of go-to comedy. But he manages it here and I was actually kind of moved at various points in the story (without spoiling anything).
I’ve said remarkably little about the movie and that’s intentional since I think the twists it makes are worth experiencing on your own. Apparently the trailer gives a lot away too so if you have any interest in the flick – and you have Hulu – I recommend checking it out as blind as you can.
Score: 85