Andy Samberg plays Nyles, a carefree wedding guest who can’t escape a time loop in Palm Springs. Cristin Milioti plays Sarah, the maid of honor who gets dragged into it with him. Together they try to break free from November 9, 1995, the day they keep reliving.
The film is a remake of Groundhog Day, but it leans harder into romance than Bill Murray’s version ever did. Samberg and Milioti play two people who don’t want to be stuck together, and that friction drives the whole movie.
Trailer, via Hulu.
The Loop Mechanics Work
The setup is simple. Nyles has been trapped in the loop for years, and he has given up on escaping. Sarah is new to it, panicked, and desperate to get out. The film spends its early stretch showing Sarah trying everything: jumping off cliffs, shooting herself, even running over Roy, the man who shot Nyles and who has been hunting him for revenge.
None of it works. The loop resets instantly, and November 9 starts again.
What makes the mechanics hold is the specificity of the day. The film grounds the loop in details: the exact moment Nyles wakes up, the order of events at the wedding reception, the locations around Palm Springs. Because the day is fixed, the film can build suspense around the question of whether Sarah will escape, and whether Nyles will let her.
Samberg and Milioti Carry It
Samberg plays Nyles as a man who has stopped caring. He dresses badly, drinks too much, and doesn’t bother with plans. Milioti plays Sarah as the opposite: anxious, neat, and terrified of wasting time. Their chemistry is immediate and convincing, and the film trusts them to sell both the conflict and the romance without forcing it.
The supporting cast fills out the wedding world without stealing focus. J.K. Simmons plays Roy, the hunter who shoots Nyles and who Sarah eventually runs over. Peter Gallagher plays Howard, the groom. Meredith Hagner plays Misty, Nyles’s girlfriend. Camila Mendes plays Tala, the bride. Tyler Hoechlin plays Abe, the groom. Chris Pang plays Trevor. Jacqueline Obradors plays Pia. June Squibb plays Nana Schlieffen. Tongayi Chirisa plays Jerry. Dale Dickey plays Darla.
None of them get much room, but the film uses them efficiently. Howard and Misty exist to show Nyles’s normal life. Tala and Abe exist to give the wedding a reason to happen. The others fill out the party, giving Sarah a world to escape from.
The Romance Is the Point
Groundhog Day was about self-improvement. Nyles wants to escape so he can stop being a jerk. Palm Springs is about something rarer: two people learning to live with each other in a world without consequences.
Nyles has been in the loop for a long time, and he has given up on escaping. Sarah, fresh into it, hasn’t. That tension is the engine of the middle stretch. Sarah tries to escape, and Nyles tries to convince her to stop trying. The film leans into the idea that being stuck together might not be so bad once you stop fighting it.
One night, Nyles and Sarah camp out in the desert, get high, and have sex. The next morning, Sarah wakes up to Abe, who had sex with her the night before the wedding. The scene is a clever twist, and it shows how the loop bends reality around itself.
The Ending Earns Its Weight
The film builds toward an ending that resolves the loop while leaving the relationship intact. Without spoiling it, the final stretch asks whether escape is really what either of them wanted. The answer is not obvious, and the film respects that ambiguity.
The film also earns its emotional weight by spending time with Nyles and Sarah before the loop. We see Nyles wake up on November 9, fail to consummate sex with Misty, and attend the wedding reception. We see Sarah bond with Nyles at the party. These scenes establish why the loop hurts, which makes the resolution feel earned.
Why It Works Better Than the Original
Palm Springs improves on Groundhog Day in a few specific ways:
- The romance is front and center, not a side plot.
- The loop is visualized as a literal vortex, not just a repeated day.
- The antagonist, Roy, adds stakes beyond the main character’s boredom.
- The supporting world is smaller, which makes the loop feel more confining.
None of these changes would work without Samberg and Milioti carrying the emotional weight. Their performances sell the idea that being stuck together might be better than being stuck alone.
The Limitations Are Minor
The film isn’t perfect. The middle stretch drags a bit, and some of Sarah’s attempts to escape feel repetitive. The supporting cast doesn’t get enough room to develop beyond their roles.
But those flaws are small compared to what the film achieves. It takes a familiar premise and turns it into a love story about two people who learn to stop resisting each other.
Final Word
Palm Springs is a smart, funny, and surprisingly tender remake of Groundhog Day. It respects the original’s loop mechanics while building a romance that feels genuine and sad. Samberg and Milioti are excellent together, and the film’s ending rewards patience.
It’s a film about living in the moment, even when the moment repeats itself. That’s a harder trick than it sounds, and Palm Springs pulls it off.
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