Groundhog Day (1993)
Directed by Harold Ramis

Film Review

A film in which the same events are played out over and over again... surely that's a recipe for monotony?  Not in the case of Groundhog Day, a comedy-fantasy that takes the wackiest premise and uses it as the most unusual entry point into what is essentially just an old fashioned redemption tale.  Sustained by the brilliance of its mad conceit and its unflagging humour, it is not hard to see why this is one of the most enduringly popular American comedies of the 1990s.  The film that gave us a neat term for an unpleasant occurrence which appears to endlessly repeat itself (everyone knows what you mean when you say 'It's Groundhog Day...'), it is the most perfectly tailored vehicle for the comedic actor Bill Murray and, with such a gift of a part, he can hardly fail to give his funniest, and warmest, screen performance to date (assisted by an excellent script from Danny Rubin).

Doubtless the theoretical physicists and philosophers will be in seventh heaven analysing the film and pointing out its relevance to notions of free will and the possibility of an infinite number of parallel universes... Meanwhile, the rest of us can sit back and enjoy one of the funniest and most daring comedies in decades, a film that is to the 1990s what Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life was to the 1940s, just a little madder.  Not only is the film tirelessly entertaining (oddly, it seems to get funnier on repeated viewings), it invites reflection on what life is for and how real fulfilment can be achieved.  You don't have to be stuck forever in a time loop to see what the writers of Groundhog Day are getting at: life is what you make of it. Director Harold Ramis (one of the writers and stars of the Ghostbusters films) would never make a film as good as this but there's some fun to be had in his later films, which include the nearly as wacky Analyze This (1999).

Film Synopsis

Phil Connors, an arrogant, self-absorbed weather forecast presenter, is far from happy about being forced to report on the annual Groundhog Day in the small town of Punxsutawney.  For some, the day - 2nd February - is sacred, the day on which the groundhog emerges from his burrow and tells the world whether spring will come early or late this year.  For Phil, the day is just another testament to the credulity of the uneducated, unwashed masses.  As predicted, the day proves to be a non-event, but Phil's attempts to leave Punxsutawney with his producer Rita and cameraman Larry are thwarted by a sudden snow blizzard.  Phil returns to the hotel and is surprised when he wakes up the following morning to find it is still 2nd February.  Only he seems to be aware of the fact that Groundhog Day is repeating itself, although he soon discovers he can change what happens by making different decisions.  Having run through the time loop several times, Phil soon realises he can turn the situation to his advantage.  Knowing that there will never be another tomorrow for him, he can afford to live wildly.  But Phil's hedonistic appetites are soon quenched and he realises he needs to find meaning in his life, even if he is condemned to live out the same day for eternity.  He decides to fall in love with Rita.  She, however, is strangely immune to his charms.  How many he times must he run through his time loop before he can convince her he is the right man for her...?