Palm Springs

Romantic comedies have a special happy feeling when an unpredictable concept or less than familiar story brings a fascinating spark between the leads being focused on. There have been those such as When Harry Met Sally (1989) where views on relationships are challenged over a period of time within a friendship or another within the past couple of years The Big Sick (2017) where a culture clash comes into play and circumstances regarding one of the leads brings the other romantic partner into meeting the parents. When these rom coms work, the experience becomes a very nice pleasant experience. This brings us to one of the latest entries to the genre, Palm Springs, which stars SNL alumni Andy Samberg. It had its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020 and was purchased by Neon & Hulu to be later released in July. Much like most of these recent reviews, I didn't look at the marketing for it and was unaware of its premise. The positive buzz surrounding it upon it release as one of 2020's best movies enticed me to see if it's true. I watched it via a source not on Hulu and ended up incredibly satisfied by the lovely viewing. 

What's it about? The story follows two strangers meeting at a wedding in Palm Springs and end up going through an interesting situation that pushes them through much needed growth. The concept of what they go through isn't new at all and has been used in a few past comedies before but the way it's implemented here adds a unique spin on it. After the 10 minute mark revealing what's going on, the writing is smart enough to discuss the important background details of while being vague enough to let it slide through without much issues. The bond that develops is an endearing relationship that allows natural discussions on their differing existential views while not taking itself seriously. The combination of the situation they are in, the great characterization being presented, wild fun silliness involved, and relatable conversations shared in their development (individually and as a pairing) creates a memorable experience that shouldn't go unnoticed.

 

How are the actors? In regards to story importance, the actors to focus on are Andy Samberg and Christi Milioti. Andy does a great performance that embraces the suave but stuck in his ways archetype while not overacting the humor that other SNL alumni are known for. Christi matches the strong talent chops of Samberg with her reactions to the new circumstances of what she gets into with a great portrayal of a flawed individual. The chemistry Andy and Christi share is an absolute delight to laugh at their solid comedic timing while caring about them as they affect each other. Honorable mentions go to JK Simmons for doing a fantastic job with his limited screen time in a surprising role (it would have been for him to have one more scene with how good he is). 

 

Overall Consensus: Palm Springs is a successful romantic comedy that thrives from its fascinating concept, fun humor, wonderful character dynamics, a lighthearted tone, and an endearing yet familiar story. ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑🍿 Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes R

 

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors. You are in the mood for a romance feature that doesn't take itself seriously with a balance of heart and silly laughs. You like people talking about their existential views and challenge each other on them. You are looking for something to cheer up and smile with in a terrible year (or from a bad day in general). You like seeing flawed troubled people going through relatable growth. 

 

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors. You dislike humorous romance features. You aren't in the mood for scenes that involve existential dread.