Here's the "Things"

One of the more delightful examples of "pandemic entertainment" was the movie Palm Springs, which not only appealed to the "every day is exactly the same" vibe everyone felt, but was also a quite clever twist on the "Groundhog Day" formula. If that movie had never existed, then a newer movie now on Amazon Prime would have been quite the revelation. As it is, though, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things -- which already knew it was living in the shadow of Groundhog Day -- lives a bit in the shadow of another movie.

Adapted by Lev Grossman from his own short story, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things opens on teenager Mark, already succumbing to boredom from being stuck in a repeating time loop of the same day. When he discovers that the mysterious Margaret is also trapped, though, things begin to look up. He begins to recognize some of the simple beauty around him, and develops a theory for how they might escape their predicament.

Assuming you make room for the idea that there can be "other Groundhog Day movies" (and I do), then it's true that even though there are a lot of similarities here to Palm Springs, there are differences too. This is a teenage version of the premise, and its main idea is perhaps a little adjacent to American Beauty's (in)famous "plastic bag in the wind" scene -- the world is full of "tiny, perfect" moments, if only you're open to recognizing and appreciating them. I've heard many people call that the most hokey element in American Beauty, but it feels less random here and is certainly given more space. Perhaps the crowd that didn't like American Beauty might still respond to this.

The two leads make a pretty good pair. Kathryn Newton broods well as Margaret, letting both Kyle and the audience in just enough to be sympathetic while not feeling secretive merely for the sake of plot. It's no surprise that the character's attitude speaks to a hidden secret, and Newton performs well when it's revealed. Kyle Allen is goofy and fun as Mark. Palm Springs again steps on this movie a bit, as Andy Samberg is known for man-child silliness (while also having a deeper emotional gear on occasion). But Allen also plays the type well enough, and he and Newton are good together.

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things isn't very long at 99 minutes, though it does start to run out of steam a little as it closes on the finish. Still, it has managed to serve up enough nice moments along the way to earn a little indulgence. I'd say it isn't really an essential movie, but I found it fairly enjoyable. I give it a B-. If you haven't seen Palm Springs, I honestly don't know if the recommendation is "see this before you see Palm Springs" or "go see Palm Springs!" Maybe you have Hulu, or Amazon Prime, but not both -- and that will settle it. But if you liked one movie, you'll probably like the other well enough.