Director: Max Barbakow
Starring: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons, Peter Gallagher
Running Time: 90 minutes
Synopsis: In Palm Springs, Nyles (Andy Samberg) is stuck in a daily time loop, forced to re-live the wedding of Abe and Tala. Nyles' relationship with his girlfriend Misty (the bridesmaid) is rocky, and in one of the loops he romances Sarah (Cristin Milioti), the bride's troubled sister. A mishap traps Sarah with Nyles in the loop, and they start spending every similar day together. Love eventually blossoms, but complications include vengeful wedding guest Roy (J.K. Simmons), who has a good reason to hunt down Nyles.
What Works Well: Riffing on the Groundhog Day theme with extra doses of surrender (from Nyles) and resistance (from Sarah), this romantic comedy offers an audacious edge in underlining love's capacity to emerge anytime - even if it's always the same time. The wedding context offers plenty of targets, including an already-in-trouble bride and groom, but director Max Barbakow and writer Andy Siara maintain focus on the central couple. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti embrace their characters' imperfections with sharp dialogue about life's oddities, and the serenely mysterious desert surroundings animate the fantasy elements.
What Does Not Work As Well: Despite the determined search for originality, the rom-com trap of contriving inflated emotions as an artificial obstacle still prevails. A desire to explore metaphysical time loop explanations (and solutions) is ultimately half-hearted.
Key Quote:
Sarah: But what is this? When is this?
Nyles: Yeah, 'bout that. So, this is today. Today is yesterday. And tomorrow is also today.
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