Palm Springs

Flicks, Katie Parker

Given that they are, by their very nature, formulaic and repetitive, it’s amazing how often time loop movies just work. Groundhog Day, Edge of Tomorrow, Happy Death Day…no matter how stupid the explanation or how weak the resolution, the trope remains a favourite of Hollywood and a hit with the people.

From director Max Barbakow, romantic-comedy Palm Springs is a new entry to the canon that uses an excellent cast and a surprisingly thoughtful story to elevate the formula to another level—making it not only a welcome addition to the genre, but one of the best comedies to come out this year.

Stuff

In a year when we’ve all felt like our daily lives have occasionally been stuck on repeat, Palm Springs is the perfect uplifting, sci-fi-infused comedy to help, at least temporarily, shake off that ennui and those pandemic blues.

Slash Film

A sharp, laugh out loud crowd-pleaser, Palm Springs could end up being the funniest film of 2020.

Vulture

Thoroughly charming and unexpectedly timely...

IndieWire

Despite “Groundhog Day” becoming a genre unto itself, Max Barbakow’s witty and wise “Palm Springs” is the first movie that doesn’t just apply that old formula to a new problem, but also fundamentally alters the basics of the equation.

A.V. Club

It closes on a strangely, profoundly moving note—an ending so great, it should add a zero to any offer a studio might think of making for the movie.

Hollywood Reporter

Pointlessness, isolation and the guarantee that no one will ever understand your plight may not sound like the makings of a laugh-filled heartwarmer, but in the hands of Barbakow and screenwriter Andy Siara, it is.

Variety

It’s an irreverent take on a form where earlier iterations were obliged to take themselves seriously. And somehow that liberates what felt like a slick but ironic riff on a tired genre to do something sincere.

Vox

Zinging between humor and poignance with a lot of charm, it achieves in its most insightful moments what comedy does best: Let us laugh at the world a little, by way of learning something about ourselves.