27 years ago, Groundhog Day (1993) came out. Groundhog Day follows a weatherman forced to relive the same day over and over again. Three years ago, Happy Death Day (2017) hit theaters. This film follows a similar plotline in which the main character is forced to relive the same day over and over again, but this time she is being hunted by a killer and just wants to make it through the day without dying. Palm Springs (2020) is the third well-known film with this major plot point to come out since Groundhog Day. As a result, there are a lot of expectations for this movie to exceed those of its predecessors. So, the question stands: does Palm Springs exceed expectations, or is it just a mirror of what came before?
Palm Springs is the story of Sarah—Cristin Milioti—and a guy named Nyles—Andy Samberg—who meet at Sarah’s sister’s wedding. The pair end up getting sucked into a time loop and growing closer together as they’re forced to spend all of their time with one another.
To start, Palm Springs and its antecedents share a lot of similarities. The most obvious similarity is the basis of their plots: the time loop. One movie is set on Groundhog’s Day, one is set on the main character’s birthday and the newest release is set on a wedding day, but each movie follows the same day over and over again on a loop.
The emotional stages that each main character goes through upon entering the loop constitutes another similarity between the films. First, the character becomes fearful and confused about what is happening, planting themselves in denial that they are truly reliving the day. Second, the character tries anything they can think of to make the day finally come to an end. This includes suicide, running from death at all costs—whatever it takes to make it to midnight to break the cycle. Third, the character decides that they can do whatever they want to in their time loop. They recognize that there will be no future consequences and act impulsively, maybe punching someone in the face, walking through their university naked or dancing to choreography with a friend in a bar. Finally, the character realizes that living the same day over and over again isn’t a dream—it’s a nightmare. The character regresses to emotional stage two, desperately focused on attempting to break the loop.
The most obvious difference between Palm Springs and the aforementioned movies is the fact that more than one character gets pulled into the time loop in the 2020 flick. Unbeknownst to Sarah, Nyles is already trapped in the time loop by the time she officially meets him. Nyles enters a cave where the time loop exists without noticing that Sarah is following him and, when Sarah tries to follow him in, tells her to leave immediately. Ignoring his protests, Sarah continues into the cave and finds herself sucked into the loop with him.
When Sarah wakes up, she realizes it’s the morning of her sister’s wedding—again. Nyles repeats the morning the same way that we saw him live the day before, which makes it clear that he’s already in emotional stage three of the time loop. Sarah is clearly in emotional stage one, having just entered the loop, and Nyles must explain to Sarah that she is now stuck in this never-ending loop where she is doomed to repeat the same day over and over again. From there, the pair must face the time loop together, alone in their perpetual repetition of the day.
The short answer is yes; Palm Springs exceeded my expectations. While most aspects of the film echo its predecessors, the movie proves itself unique in narrative and character development. Definitely give it a watch … if you can find the time.