Movie Review - Groundhog Day

GROUNDHOG DAY (1993)

U.S.A, 101 Mins

Hard to believe it’s already been a year since we lost the very talented actor/director/writer Harold Ramis. Best known for his roles in Ghostbusters & Stripes, he also stepped behind the camera to direct several films, including this week’s review from 1993, Groundhog Day. Need to re-acquaint myself with a quality film – I’m still getting the bad taste of last weeks movie out of my mouth!

So Groundhog Day stars Bill Murray & Andie MacDowell, & is based around the well-known day in the States which is celebrated on February 2^nd.  Murray plays Phil Connors, a jaded & self-centred weatherman with a local Pittsburgh TV station. He travels with producer Rita (MacDowell) & cameraman Larry (Chris Elliot) on Feb. 1^st out to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities the following day. Phil can’t stand the whole day or the town of Punxsutawney, & is eager to leave as soon as their production is wrapped up. They are halted by a big blizzard however, & are forced to return to Punxsutawney.  Phil wakes up the next day to find that is once again Groundhog Day, with the day playing out exactly as it did the day before. It seems only Phil himself is caught in the time loop however – everyone carries on as normal. When Phil continues to relive the same day over & over, he decides to take advantage of it & the fact there will be no repercussions the following day by smoking, drinking, learning secrets from town locals to his own advantage, & even stealing money! Ultimately, he decides to take advantage of the time loop to find out more about Rita, who he has a thing for, to try & woo her into sleeping with him, only to continually fail.

The constant repeat of Groundhog Day & his failure with Rita eventually drive Phil over the edge, as he attempts suicide to beat the day repeating. But again the next morning, he finds himself waking up at 6am on Groundhog Day.  Further attempts at ending it all have the same affect – he still wakes up the next morning, & it’s still February 2^nd. Phil eventually confesses to Rita of his situation, with knowledge of every single detail of what happens in Punxsutawney to back him up. Rita eventually believes him to an extent, & they enjoy a nice day together. This is the turning point for Phil, as he starts to realise to use his personal time loop for good – to help out people of the town, & doing good deeds, & learning to speak another language. Eventually, Phil has be-friended just about everyone in town, & his efforts impress Rita without the sleazy tactics Phil resorted to earlier on. They spend the night together, & Phil wakes up the next morning to discover that it is February 3^rd – his time loop has finally been broken, & Rita is still with him. Learning his lesson, Phil continues his new-found good attitude & suggests they move to Punxsutawney.

As it probably shows, I love this film. Bill Murray is at his absolute best here, playing the self-centred Phil Connors perfectly, using his dry, sarcastic sense of humour to its utmost. Andie MacDowell plays off him well, playing the sensible & smart lady who Phil ultimately aspires to.  There are plenty of laughs along the way, as Phil deals with his personal situation, & loveable characters like Larry the cameraman, & Ned Ryerson (Stephen Tobolwsky) as the irritating old high school friend who Phil encounters most times he re-lives the day. The film also has a positive tale to tell, guiding us to the conclusion of the cheap & easy way often leads to failure, while a good & kind heart is ultimately the way to go to happiness. While not setting the box office world on fire when it was initially released, Groundhog Day has become a much loved & recognised film over the years with much to offer, & critics have acknowledged it as a contemporary classic.

Groundhog Day is one of those films I know word for word, & would easily say is in my Top 5 favourite films of all time. As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, I’m a big Bill Murray fan, & he is at his best here. A feel good film with plenty of laughs along the way, with an excellent supporting cast, Groundhog Day is still as good as it was when released 22 years ago. I’m giving it the full Monty:  *****