As our COVID-riddled state rolls back openings and braces for whatever the months ahead hold, these past few weeks of Summer: Live from Wisconsin Quarantine! have started to feel like theyre simply repeating the same events every single day. Over and over and over again.

Hulus Palm Springs takes that notion literally and somehow makes us want to stick around.

In the largest Sundance Film Festival sale ever made, Palm Springs tells the story of family black sheep Sarah, an unlucky maid of honor who awakens on the morning of November 9 the day of her sisters wedding and prepares for whatever the fateful day entails. Played to the absolute piping brim of her Im a disappointment glory by How I Met Your Mother titular actress Cristin Milioti, Sarah quickly draws the attention of wedding guest and surprising toast giver Nyles, portrayed by Lonely Island and Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andy Samberg, becoming smitten with his seemingly uncanny ability to predict everything exactly the way it will happen before it even happens.

The meet-cute between both parties ensues, the preparations for a night of romance abound before suddenly, all hell suddenly breaks loose. Nyles is struck by an arrow from a homicidal maniac, Sarah follows him towards a glowing cave, and before we know it, she wakes up in the same bed on November 9, all over again.

Unbeknownst to Sarah, Nyles has led her into a time loop, one in which hes been stuck for so long he stopped counting the days, and provides her the rules for how the new world operates. From a series of lackluster suicide attempts to a bucket list of crazy activities, the pair is forced to navigate whatever can be found in this new world for only the both of them, quickly recognizing theres no escaping their inevitable reset or budding romance along the way.

The beauty of Palm Springs doesnt lie in the formula a pattern weve seen perfectly patented through the 1993 classic Groundhog Day and more recently updated in films like Blumhouses Happy Death Day and television series like Netflixs Russian Doll.

Nyles isnt trying to convince other people that hes trapped like Phil Conners (Bill Murray) does, and theres no redeeming quality that has to be found inside either character before they can escape. Rather, its the unique blend of the formula we see here part and parcel existential comedy about the nothingness of repeating the same day and padding provided through will they or wont they romantic comedy tropes that works perfectly to let both characters recognize what theyve found in each other, saving the movie and preventing it from being a bad version of both. It causes viewers to ponder whether or not we would be content repeating the same day if it meant we got to spend it with someone we came to love, and once the twist comes youll be shocked to discover why Sarah feels the need to escape the cycle for good.

While the twists and turns of the narrative keep the engine moving, the performances on both sides make the on-screen romance far better than one couldve ever hoped. Samberg adopting more of a frat boy persona over his typical parody schtick brings a perfect level of hysterical hopelessness into the time loop situation, dialing up his chops for the moments of insanity and tapping into some more serious emotions once he recognizes the feelings hes developed for Sarah.

Had I not watched Lonely Island videos thousands of times in middle school much to the disappointment of my teachers and peers I wouldve never guessed he had the ability to change directions. Not to mention his chemistry with Milioti who brings her own manic energy to the screen and Sambergs performance propels the storyline far beyond anything a lower-tier comedian might have provided towards the role. Im excited to see him continue to tackle more projects like this as Nine Nine seemingly comes to a conclusion within the next few years and he hopefully lines himself up for the potential of a late-career Adam Sandler route for adult romantic comedies or just a few more Lonely Island videos, I would be fine with that.

Many of the supporting performances, from television legends like Peter Gallagher and teen stars like Camila Mendes, warrant some attention in Springs. They make or break a high-concept oftentimes, and while the starring pair does a great job keeping fans involved no one provides a fastball quite like Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons in roughly 8-10 minutes of screen time. Coming down from the clouds, and the occasional Travelers Insurance commercial, to play a wedding guest named Roy who develops a strange obsession, well call it with Nyles, Simmons adds yet another eccentric character to his lengthy resume as a supporting comedy player. He perfectly flips the switch between smarmy and sarcastic during the wedding scenes and genuinely warm hearted with his suburban family towards the end of the film, and it consistently blows my mind how frequently he finds new ways to deliver. Any role he takes could fall anywhere between Tom Hanks and a creepier version of Bryan Cranston making his performance in Springs one of the most surprising and enjoyable parts of the entire movie.

All in all, Palm Springs needs to be watched with as few spoilers and as open of a mind as humanly possible letting you sink your teeth into the concept and really imagining how you would really feel living the same day over and over again. Dont look up spoilers, dont deep dive quantum physics on YouTube and suspend disbelief for just a few or 90 moments and you might just find your new favorite comedy movie of the summer and rest of the year.

You can find Palm Springs streaming on Hulu right now.

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'Palm Springs' brings notion of repeated reality to life - The Daily Cardinal