Palm Springs
At a Palm Springs wedding, two emotionally stuck strangers turn an endless day into a reckless laboratory for love, change, and finding meaning.
Overview
A wedding in paradise turns into a chaotic adventure of love and existentialism.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- breezy
- date night
- lazy sunday
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an assured, inventive, and emotionally resonant romantic comedy that refreshes the time-loop formula through strong performances and energetic storytelling.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Nyles and Sarah repeatedly relive the same Palm Springs wedding, turning repetition into the film's central storytelling engine.
Nyles's nihilism and Sarah's crisis of purpose are explored through irreverent wedding havoc and an emerging relationship.
The time loop allows Nyles and Sarah to drink, use drugs, disrupt the celebration, and act out without lasting social consequences.
Palm Springs's wedding venue, pools, roads, and surrounding desert become a surreal prison outside ordinary time.
Films like Palm Springs, and why
Groundhog Day
shared time-loop premise, romantic comedy structure, and bittersweet self-improvement themes
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things
shared irreverent comedy, heightened genre premise, and emotionally sincere romance
The Nice Guys
shared ensemble comedy, chaotic friendship dynamics, and adult characters confronting emotional stagnation
Movie Details
- Director
- Max Barbakow
- Release Date
- 2020-07-10
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (3912)
Cast
- Andy Samberg
- Cristin Milioti
- J.K. Simmons
- Peter Gallagher
- Meredith Hagner
- Camila Mendes
- Tyler Hoechlin
- Chris Pang
- Jacqueline Obradors
- June Squibb
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Palm Springs about?
- At a Palm Springs wedding, two emotionally stuck strangers turn an endless day into a reckless laboratory for love, change, and finding meaning.
- What is Palm Springs like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Palm Springs as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Palm Springs violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Palm Springs as mild.
- What did critics think of Palm Springs?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an assured, inventive, and emotionally resonant romantic comedy that refreshes the time-loop formula through strong performances and energetic storytelling.
- Which films are like Palm Springs?
- Films with a similar feel include Groundhog Day, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, and The Nice Guys.
- How long is Palm Springs?
- Palm Springs runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch Palm Springs?
- In United States, Palm Springs streams on Hulu.
