Palm Springs Review

Quantum mechanics is a difficult subject for those who are not educated in physics to wrap their heads around, and I can't fully explain it myself because there is much I don't understand. In the 2020 film Palm Springs, there's a single throwaway line about Cauchy Horizons and indeterministic universes. I can't claim to fully understand what these terms mean, but I did some quick googling and found a fascinating rabbit hole and came to a simplified explanation; the Cauchy Horizon is the boundary of an area of space-time in which a set of points and factors in the past determine the conditions of the future. Outside of this, one may enter a universe where the past does not affect the future; at least, not in the way that we have come to understand.

You don't need an understanding of quantum mechanics to appreciate Palm Springs, or even follow it at all. It's not very important to the plot or the theme, but it seems to have somewhat inspired the core ideas of its story. Instead of the raw math or science behind it, however, Palm Springs is primarily interested in the philosophical implications that lie at the center of this idea. What would it be like for a person to live in a world where the past and the future have no relation beyond your own personal experience? Would anything have any meaning at all?

Director Max Barbakow and writer Andy Siara envision a familiar application of this concept; a Groundhog Day-style infinite time loop where carefree manchild Nyles (Andy Samberg) and maid of honor Sarah (Cristin Milioti) find themselves reliving the same wedding day over and over and over infinitely. No matter what they do, they always wake up again that morning. No matter what they do, nothing will ever change. In essence, the past cannot affect the future because the future is always the same, and there are no consequences or lasting changes brought about by any action.

Both Nyles and Sarah handle this environment in different ways. Nyles has been stuck here for who knows how long, and has long since given up trying to escape, resorting instead to being as lazy and careless as possible because he knows there will never be any change or consequence. In a way, this can be read as a sort of deconstruction of the comedic manchild trope; it seems to be saying that the toxic whiny manchild is brought about as a result of an existential despair, and a failure to grasp any meaning or value in life and desperately lashing out. Sarah, on the other hand, is new to this, and has a full on existential breakdown, before finally ending up the more determined of the two to actually get out.

The two of them wind up developing feelings for each other - an outcome that's fairly inevitable given the genre of the film. What's interesting is that the film acknowledges that their attraction is based around the fact that they are the only two who are there for each other. Perhaps if this never happened they never would have gotten together, or even given each other the time of day. When they begin to talk about getting out, it's completely up in the air whether or not their relationship will actually work out. It doesn't really matter if they wind up together forever, though, just like it doesn't particularly matter what the cave that caused the time loop really is, or the how and why of the whole phenomenon. What matters is that both of these individuals are forced together to confront and contemplate the idea that their actions are inherently meaningless in the face of the universe, and to try and figure out just how one finds happiness and meaning in the face of such revelations.

Palm Springs sees these two tackling these issues, along with many more. How does one live with the mistakes of their past when they no longer have any ability to fix them? How does someone face their problems when they'll always seem to be stuck with them? Is it better to constantly run from the issues facing you and never have to deal with them, or to stand them down and do the tough work it takes to fix things? Ultimately, the answer that Palm Springs finds to its problems is about embracing our connections with others as the thing that makes life special and worth living. Being a rom-com, it emphasizes romantic relationships, but the idea can easily be applied to any sort of connection.

The sense of humor Palm Springs has is definitely in line with the raunchy, somewhat juvenile style of previous Andy Samberg outings - the Lonely Island title card is all you have to see to know that - and it doesn't always mesh well with the film's more philosophical elements. It does fit Nyles' character, though, and it is consistently funny and charming even when it misses its mark. For all of its low brow moments, it never really becomes offensive, always grounding itself in the emotional journey of its characters in order to keep from going completely off the rails like previous Samberg vehicles like Hot Rod.

Overall, Palm Springs is a funny, heartwarming and surprisingly smart rom-com that fills in its few cracks with genuine pathos and easily-digestible philosophical musings. It leaves us with the idea that in a world where nothing you do matters, all that matters is the bonds you forge with others and the actions you take with them. In a world where doom and gloom seems to become more and more normal with every passing day, and many are completely giving up on finding any sort of meaning or fulfillment in their life, it's a message that I think will resonate with a lot of people.