PALM SPRINGS

This is the sort of film I feared wasn't getting made any more - a romantic comedy that's sweet and funny, based on the clever idea of trapping the two leads in a time loop à la 'Groundhog Day'.

Nyles is played by Andy Samberg who was the best thing in 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine'.  He is very likeable and charming, and just naturally funny (see his dance moves here in an early scene, for example).  

He's fated to repeat the same day over and over; since it is at a wedding in Palm Springs it could be worse I guess but like Bill Murray the monotony and pointlessness of it all has driven him to try killing himself.  All to no avail, he keeps waking up with his boring girlfriend Misty.

Sarah, the half-sister of the bride, is played by Cristin Milioti.  I'd seen her previously in the classic Black Mirror episode "USS Callister" where she also plays a character trapped in an endless loop of sorts.

She's a great foil for Samberg: she exudes calm, and hints at hidden depths, compared with his outwardly carefree manner.  

Sarah gets caught in the loop by following Nyles into the cave because she fears for his safety, which is understandable because just as she and Nyles were starting to 'get it on' a strange guy called Roy turns up trying to kill Nyles.  It's a disorienting start to the film but in due course all get explained: Roy is also trapped in the loop, and since he blames Nyles for this he entertains himself by trying to inflict pain on him.

Anyhow the writer Andy Siara has all sorts of fun playing around with the time loop scenario but at the heart of the film is the relationship between Nyles and Sarah. 

He's basically given up hope of escaping the loop and unlike Bill Murray he hasn't reached the stage of seeking self-improvement.  

Sarah on the other hand is determined to get out, to which end she learns enough quantum physics to come up with an escape plan, although to be honest it doesn't seem that complicated since it just involves blowing herself up in the cave.

Nyles at first refuses to join her, instead preferring to stay.  I'm tempted to see this as some kind of commentary on typical male aversion to commitment, but who can say?

The only niggle I had with the story is that we learn (spoiler alert) that on the night before the wedding Sarah slept with the groom.  This seems totally at odds with her character, and is never explained, and therefore comes across as a plot contrivance (and a somewhat unnecessary one at that).

Other than that though this is a perfect delight from start to finish.