People say that the romcom genre is dead. They say it’s due to the genre’s problematic nature—i.e. its message that a woman’s happiness can only be found in the hands of a man, the beck-and-call best friend characters, the cheesy and predictable storyline. But, to be honest, romcom is my favourite genre growing up—I’m sure a lot of people’s too. And— you know what—if done right, the romcom genre can actually be a tremendous film that everyone can enjoy. In this late 2010’s to early 2020’s, we are seeing a lot more romcom films that try to break the mould and transcend people’s expectations. Unfortunately, most of them still suck—because they’re thinking too much about it! However, one title sticks out among the rest: Palm Springs.
Okay, to say that Palm Springs is a romcom movie is selling it waaay too short. The film is so nuanced and multidimensional that it is hard to pinpoint it to a single genre, but one thing’s for sure: parts of it can definitely fit into the romcom box. It takes a somewhat overused plot device—a time loop—and turns it into a fun storytelling for a darker underbelly of life that most of us can relate to. I mean, the title itself speaks volume. Imagine being stuck in heavenly Palm Springs for an indefinite amount of time—sounds good, right? But is it really?
The story follows Nyles who comes to a wedding in Palm Springs for his girlfriend Misty’s best friend. At the wedding, Nyles hits it off with the bride’s big sister, Sarah, and they almost hook up before Nyles gets attacked. He drags himself to a nearby cave, with Sarah tailing not too far behind. Nyles tells her to stay away, but driven by curiosity, Sarah walks deeper into the cave anyway. Suddenly, she wakes up in her room the next day…except it’s the day of the wedding all over again.
Sarah seeks out Nyles for an explanation and he tells her that they are in a time loop. In fact, Nyles himself has been in it for so long before Sarah joins him, that he has forgotten about his life prior to the loop. Panicked, Sarah tries to find a way out, but Nyles keeps telling her there isn’t any. Even if they get killed, they will simply wake up in bed on the wedding day—however, pain can still be felt. Nyles knows this because he has been tortured and hunted down by someone else he dragged into the loop, called Roy. In the end, Sarah and Nyles decide to just make the most of their infinite time together—sneaking into someone else’s pool, coming up with goofy dance moves, sabotaging the wedding. Slowly but surely, they grow to care for each other.
Eventually, however, Sarah has to come to terms with her life before the time loop and she desperately needs to get out. Meanwhile, Nyles has become so comfortable living in the loop that he is scared of the real world. Will they ever get out of Palm Springs?
On first glance, this film may seem like any other fun and comedic movie. In fact, it is quite possibly a quintessential summer film—which comes perfectly at the height of the pandemic. However, even from the very first scene we can already tell there is something darker lurking underneath. This gets expanded throughout the whole film, as we see how much fun Nyles is having, but it seems a little off somehow—like his heart isn’t entirely in it. The movie has been revered as a symbolism for depression, which also feels like the same day being repeated over and over again. Nyles’s own motto, in fact, may ring so close to home for anyone who has ever suffered from depression.
“You just have to embrace the fact that nothing matters.”
Through this film—and something like About Time—I feel like the best formula for making a romcom is to write a story that is true to life. Maybe in the early 2000’s we can live with a fairy tale-like scenario where everything just works out, but today we need the reassurance that—even when they don’t—we won’t be left in the gutter to fend for ourselves. We demand to see love in a more well-rounded manner, to witness the meet-cutes as well as the conflicts and know that both these things make a relationship worth the while. Even if we never get out of Palm Springs to live another day.
People say that the romcom genre is dead. They say it’s due to the genre’s problematic nature—i.e. its message that a woman’s happiness can only be found in the hands of a man, the beck-and-call best friend characters, the cheesy and predictable storyline. But, to be honest, romcom is my favourite genre growing up—I’m sure a lot of people’s too. And— you know what—if done right, the romcom genre can actually be a tremendous film that everyone can enjoy. In this late 2010’s to early 2020’s, we are seeing a lot more romcom films that try to break the mould and transcend people’s expectations. Unfortunately, most of them still suck—because they’re thinking too much about it! However, one title sticks out among the rest: Palm Springs.
Okay, to say that Palm Springs is a romcom movie is selling it waaay too short. The film is so nuanced and multidimensional that it is hard to pinpoint it to a single genre, but one thing’s for sure: parts of it can definitely fit into the romcom box. It takes a somewhat overused plot device—a time loop—and turns it into a fun storytelling for a darker underbelly of life that most of us can relate to. I mean, the title itself speaks volume. Imagine being stuck in heavenly Palm Springs for an indefinite amount of time—sounds good, right? But is it really?
The story follows Nyles who comes to a wedding in Palm Springs for his girlfriend Misty’s best friend. At the wedding, Nyles hits it off with the bride’s big sister, Sarah, and they almost hook up before Nyles gets attacked. He drags himself to a nearby cave, with Sarah tailing not too far behind. Nyles tells her to stay away, but driven by curiosity, Sarah walks deeper into the cave anyway. Suddenly, she wakes up in her room the next day…except it’s the day of the wedding all over again.
Sarah seeks out Nyles for an explanation and he tells her that they are in a time loop. In fact, Nyles himself has been in it for so long before Sarah joins him, that he has forgotten about his life prior to the loop. Panicked, Sarah tries to find a way out, but Nyles keeps telling her there isn’t any. Even if they get killed, they will simply wake up in bed on the wedding day—however, pain can still be felt. Nyles knows this because he has been tortured and hunted down by someone else he dragged into the loop, called Roy. In the end, Sarah and Nyles decide to just make the most of their infinite time together—sneaking into someone else’s pool, coming up with goofy dance moves, sabotaging the wedding. Slowly but surely, they grow to care for each other.
Eventually, however, Sarah has to come to terms with her life before the time loop and she desperately needs to get out. Meanwhile, Nyles has become so comfortable living in the loop that he is scared of the real world. Will they ever get out of Palm Springs?
On first glance, this film may seem like any other fun and comedic movie. In fact, it is quite possibly a quintessential summer film—which comes perfectly at the height of the pandemic. However, even from the very first scene we can already tell there is something darker lurking underneath. This gets expanded throughout the whole film, as we see how much fun Nyles is having, but it seems a little off somehow—like his heart isn’t entirely in it. The movie has been revered as a symbolism for depression, which also feels like the same day being repeated over and over again. Nyles’s own motto, in fact, may ring so close to home for anyone who has ever suffered from depression.
“You just have to embrace the fact that nothing matters.”
Through this film—and something like About Time—I feel like the best formula for making a romcom is to write a story that is true to life. Maybe in the early 2000’s we can live with a fairy tale-like scenario where everything just works out, but today we need the reassurance that—even when they don’t—we won’t be left in the gutter to fend for ourselves. We demand to see love in a more well-rounded manner, to witness the meet-cutes as well as the conflicts and know that both these things make a relationship worth the while. Even if we never get out of Palm Springs to live another day.