Lonely Island Movie Palm Springs Wedding Comedy

Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Palm Springs just made history by becoming the most expensive acquisition at the Sundance Film Festival, according to Entertainment Weekly. The Andy Samberg movie just sold to Neon and Hulu for exactly $17,500,000.69 — 69 cents above what Fox Searchlight paid for The Birth of a Nation in 2016.

This post was originally published on January 28, 2020.

One of the most anticipated new movies to come out of the Sundance Film Festival may trigger anyone gearing up for a long and arduous season of weddings.

Produced by the trio behind The Lonely Island, Palm Springs is a rom com take on Groundhog Day, with How I Met Your Mother’s Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg stuck in an infinite loop that makes them repeat the same wedding weekend day in and day out. Nyles (Samberg) gets trapped reliving the wedding of a near-stranger first, but after hooking up with reluctant maid of honour Sarah (Milioti), he inadvertently drags her into his existential crisis.

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Following the film’s premiere at Sundance, Hulu is reportedly in talks to distribute the film via its streaming platform, according to Deadline. When it will be potentially released in the UK is TBD, but it sounds like a movie worth watching, per the reviews rolling in from critics on Twitter.

“PALM SPRINGS is a real charmer. It's a rom-com riff on GROUNDHOG DAY and hits a lot of that movie's familiar beats, but it's lively, surprising, and funny, and the Cristian Miloti /Andy Samberg/ JK Simmons trifecta is extremely winning. It also moves admirably quickly,” wrote Polygon’s Tasha Robinson.

PALM SPRINGS is a real charmer. It's a rom-com riff on GROUNDHOG DAY and hits a lot of that movie's familiar beats, but it's lively, surprising, and funny, and the Cristian Miloti /Andy Samberg/ JK Simmons trifecta is extremely winning. It also moves admirably quickly. #Sundance
— Tasha Robinson (@TashaRobinson) January 27, 2020

“Absolutely LOVED #PalmSprings, the groundhog day premise is overdone but director Max Barbakow found a way to make it fresh,” wrote film critic Duane Miller. “It's a perfect balance of comedy, romance, and drama. Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, and J.K Simmons were incredible and hilarious. Adored it.”

Absolutely LOVED #PalmSprings, the groundhog day premise is overdone but director Max Barbakow found a way to make it fresh. It's a perfect balance of comedy, romance, and drama. Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, and J.K Simmons were incredible and hilarious. Adored it. #Sundance pic.twitter.com/9iPtcw1mkR
— Duane Miller @ Sundance 2020 (@Cinemaniac94) January 27, 2020

“I’m all emotional and woozy anyway and at that point during Sundance where you start to really crack up but with all that said PALM SPRINGS is absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to see it over and over again,” added David Sims of The Atlantic.

I’m all emotional and woozy anyway and at that point during Sundance where you start to really crack up but with all that said PALM SPRINGS is absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to see it over and over again
— David Sims (@davidlsims) January 26, 2020

The Groundhog Day “infinite time loop” premise has been utilised in recent years across different genres. Happy Death Day played homage to slasher movies (and had much fun with creative kills) by having its main character die over and over again at the hands of a masked murderer. Sci-fi action flick The Edge of Tomorrow resets time every 24 hours during a battle, allowing Tom Cruise’s character ample chances to save the world.

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It seems like Palm Springs once again reinvented the premise, and in turn, maybe the romantic comedy, too. Put this one on your “must see” list.

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