Max Barbakow's Film Palm Springs Isn't An Oscar Winner, But Sure Wins Me

Some of the best movies I have ever watched all share one thing in common: each movie acknowledges its boundaries. What this means is that the director and cast both understand a film capabilities; this can mean anything from not having great reviews or not getting nominated for awards. This is most common in comedies and action packed films. For example, in the 2018 action packed shark movie The Meg, director Jon Turtletaub didn't set out to rival Jaws for the best shark movie of all time. Instead of filling up the film with long dialogue filled scenes, Turtletaub displayed The Meg as a, comical at times, Jason Statham action packed thriller. Similar to this was Max Barbakow's 2020 film Palm Springs. Yes Palm Springs didn't have huge explosions or a 90 foot long shark, but it did have a director who understood the true capability of the script.

When watching Palm Springs, you can tell that Barbakow had a fun time directing the film. After reading the film's synopsis, I was a little uneasy about watching the film. Knowing this though, after watching the trailer and thus discovering Andy Samberg as the lead actor, and watching the trailer, I knew that this movie would be enjoyable. Firstly, Andy Samberg has been in a multitude of comedies such as I Love You Man and Neighbors. Similar to Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg is recognized by many as an amazing actor. Samberg isn't recognized worldwide because of Oscar nominations though (which he has received 0 of), but instead for his hilarious performances. His performance took Palm Springs to the next level. In addition to this, Palm Springs was completely originality. Although we have seen movies such as Groundhogs Day, Barbakow adds an uncountable number of unique to the the idea of a time loop. These elements include hiding from a dangerous man named Roy to being stuck at a wedding.

Palm Springs also received a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes!!

-Seth Greenberg