I’m going to preface this and say I think the movie is most enjoyable if you know less about it, so there isn’t a lot of information about the plot.
It has been nearly a year since COVID-19 changed all of our lives. Ever since people started quarantining, it has felt like every day is the same and there’s hardly a break from the mundane. The days blend together and it starts to feel like you’re living the same day over and over again, like you’re stuck in a time loop. If you’ve seen movies like Groundhog Day with Bill Murray, you know what I’m talking about. Palm Springs is also a movie based on a time loop, but it’s more. About a year ago, the movie broke the record for the Sundance Movie Festival’s biggest sale, $17,500,000.69. Awards show nominations are being released around this time of year and the movie has several from the Golden Globes and SAG Awards. These are well deserved because the movie makes you feel so many emotions. Of course there’s comedy and romance, but watching the story and following the characters’ experience in this time-loop shows so much more than your average rom-com. It makes you think about how you carry yourself everyday, what choices you make and how they have an impact on your life.
The movie centers Nyles (Andy Samberg), whose girlfriend Misty (Meredith Hagner) is the maid-of-honor in Tala and Abe’s wedding; and Sarah Wilder (Cristin Millioti), who is Tala’s (Camila Mendes) older sister. Nyles and Sarah get stuck in a time-loop and live the same day over and over again.
I watched this movie because I really enjoy the work of comedy trio The Lonely Island which consists of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, who produced the film. If you’ve seen a digital short from Saturday Night Live from 2005-2012 or seen PEN15 on Hulu, they are behind (or sometimes in front of) the camera.
This movie really resonated with me because as I said before, I feel like I’ve been stuck in a time loop. My classes are pretty much at the same time every day. I haven’t had the time to enjoy doing hobbies because I’ve been busy with work. It’s almost as if every day follows the same script. What this movie helped me realize was that life can be boring and repetitive, and it may feel like I’m not growing or progressing, but I’m still learning new things and they are having an impact. The actions I take can have impacts in places I may not have anticipated. There are many choices I can make about how I choose to go about every day, and even though I am stuck in this moment, there are pockets of joy.
If you feel like you are living the same day over and over again watch Palm Springs. It should give you a boost to get through the next few days. If you watched the movie again or want to revisit, Hulu released a commentary cut which has input from the writers, producers, and cast!