Tuesday, May 24, 2022
flickfeast
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute
  • Submissions
    • Advertise on Flickfeast
    • Submit a Film
No Result
View All Result
flickfeast
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute
  • Submissions
    • Advertise on Flickfeast
    • Submit a Film
No Result
View All Result
FLICKFEAST
No Result
View All Result
Home Reviews Film Review

Palm Springs (2020) – Film Review

Katie Smith-Wong by Katie Smith-Wong
December 7, 2020
in Film Review
Palm Springs (2020) – Film Review
15
SHARES
1.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The directorial debut feature firm of Max Barbakow, Palm Springs stars Jake Samberg and Christin Milioti as Nyles and Sarah. The two meet on 9 November at the wedding of Sarah’s sister Tala. After hitting it off, they become trapped in a time loop so they repeatedly wake up on 9 November.

At the start of Palm Springs, Nyles has been trapped for a while and is now living a ‘meaningless’ life of beers, burritos and the odd visit from the hate-filled Roy (JK Simmons). His nonchalance initially aggravates Sarah, who’s furiously forced to repeatedly experience her sister’s wedding. However, the joy of Palm Springs manifests as she embraces the chaos with Nyles, which sees them enjoy endless days at a stranger’s pool or random dancing at the local bar. Their blossoming relationship fills the film with an infectious joy that makes it hard not to have fun with them.   

You might also like

Firestarter (2022) – Film Review

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Film Review

Benediction (2021) — Film Review

When emotions eventually start to come in play, they face the fact that their new lives are not totally meaningless. This causes them to re-evaluate their friendship and realise that they need to also consider aspects outside of the loop. This slows down the film’s frenetic pace but gives audiences a chance to breathe, as well as witness the downsides of the leads’ carefree attitudes.

On paper, Palm Springs seems like an ordinary romance. The beer-slinging man hits on the maid of honour at her sister’s wedding, and they are about to fool around…until she finds herself in a time loop with him. It sounds like an offbeat sci-fi but Andy Siara’s screenplay doesn’t overly indulge in the science. Although this just leaves questions unanswered, this essentially makes the romance the film’s focal point, with the only science being the chemistry between its leads. The spark between Samberg and Milioti takes their characters’ connection onto another level while Palm Springs’ sun-kissed surroundings reinforce its sense of escapism.

Thanks to the strong leads and screenplay, Barbakow directs Palm Springs with confidence. When all these factors are combined, this reassures audiences of the film’s charm, allowing them to embrace its silliness and the slow-burning romance of its protagonists.

Overall, Palm Springs is an audience-pleasing debut for Barbakow. With Samberg and Milioti stealing the show on and off the dancefloor, it is essentially Groundhog Day with piña coladas.

Director: Max Barbakow; Andy Siara (screenwriter)
Stars: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, JK Simmons
Runtime: 90 minutes
Country: USA

Film Rating: ★★★★☆

Tags: andy sambergcristin miliotifilm reviewJK SimmonsMax BarbakowPalm Springs
Katie Smith-Wong

Katie Smith-Wong

Related Posts

Film Review

Firestarter (2022) – Film Review

by Dallas King
May 24, 2022
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Film Review

by Katie Smith-Wong
May 23, 2022
Benediction (2021)
Film Review

Benediction (2021) — Film Review

by Jasmine Valentine
May 19, 2022
The Innocents (2021) – Film Review
Film Review

The Innocents (2021) – Film Review

by William Stottor
May 17, 2022
Father Stu (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Father Stu (2022) – Film Review

by Dallas King
May 12, 2022

Recommended

Evil Dead II (1987)

May 3, 2013
SXSW 2017 – Song to Song (2017)

SXSW 2017 – Song to Song (2017)

March 11, 2017

Don't miss it

Film Review

Firestarter (2022) – Film Review

May 24, 2022
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Film Review

May 23, 2022
Benediction (2021)
Film Review

Benediction (2021) — Film Review

May 19, 2022
Top 100 Greatest Movies Films
Spotlight

100 Greatest Movies (and 50 Honorable Mentions)

May 24, 2022
The Innocents (2021) – Film Review
Film Review

The Innocents (2021) – Film Review

May 17, 2022
Father Stu (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Father Stu (2022) – Film Review

May 12, 2022
flickfeast

Whetting your appetite for cinema with the best film reviews and features since 2009

© Copyright - flickfeast. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute

© Copyright - flickfeast. All Rights Reserved.

Posting....