Palm Springs, at first glance, seems to be a little derivative. (I'm going to try to do this without too many spoilers, but it is going to be hard. I'll try not to tell you anything that isn't in the trailer.) It has the same foundational premise as the classic Groundhog Day - the lead characters find themselves in an infinite time loop that causes them to repeat one day over and over.
Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti are the unlucky couple - not a couple, actually, just two people attending a Palm Spring wedding who have a chance encounter that results in them being in the loop - unable to escape, unable to die.
I'm not going to tell you more than that, except to say that unlike Groundhog Day, which was all about Bill Murray's character finding redemption, Palm Springs is more of a relationship movie in that the two characters have vastly different approaches to dealing with their dilemma, and we get to watch those play out. Samberg is very good, but Milioti actually is revelation in her role, showing some shades that I've not seen from her before. And JK Simmons is excellent in a key supporting role, though it seems redundant to use the words "JK Simmons" and "excellent" in the same sentence.
Palm Springs sort of feels like a Twilight Zone episode directed by Max Barbakow and written by Andy Siara written while on drugs … but to my mind that sort of works for it. It isn't Groundhog Day, but it is pretty good.
My wine of the week: the 2019 Whitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, from NewZealand. I'm not always a fan of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, which often can seem too strong on the grapefruit notes, but this one is smoother and more balanced - it is crisp enough to stand up to hot and humid summer nights.
That's it for this week. Have a great weekend, and I'll see you Monday.
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
