02/02/10 - Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day (1993, 101 min)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/

Well look at the date. It's February 2nd. I guess that means it's time to watch Groundhog Day. Naturally, I attempt to watch Groundhog Day around the actual Groundhog Day each year. That also means I've seen this movie a lot, but it remains a classic.

The film stars Bill Murray as Phil a weatherman who goes to Punxsutawney to cover Groundhog Day. Along with him is the head of the news program Rita (Andie MacDowell) and the cameraman Larry (Chris Elliott). Unfortunately, Phil has to relive the day over and over until he becomes a better person.

The acting in Groundhog Day is really pretty good. Murray is the star and he handles everything amazingly well. He has to redo a lot of scenes over and over because of the nature of the film but he manages to make each viewing seem fresh. Most importantly though, he displays the anguish and pain that one would probably feel when going through this ordeal. Backing him up, MacDowell does a pretty good job and Elliott exceeds expectations in his small backup role.

The most amazing thing about Groundhog Day is that it actually presents interesting questions. Naturally, after viewing I always ask myself if I would enjoy living a day over and over and over again until I "got it right." The quick response is always "Yes" but when I think about it more it becomes an interesting question. The movie handles this deftly when it presents the dying older beggar. Through a montage we see how Phil constantly tries to revive and save him to no avail. We're greeted with the chilling line "Sometimes people just die." to which Phil replies "Not today." It makes the movie really dark for these few moments and adds a new layer to the comedy of the film in my opinion. I feel this is a frequently overlooked aspect of the film but one which needs more recognition as being great. It causes the viewer (or me at least) to think twice about giving that resounding "Yes" from above. Regardless from this, though, the question is raised and it adds to a certain factor of the comedy movie: timelessness. Certain comedies from the 1980s and early 1990s are extremely dated and no longer feel as fresh and funny. But because this movie asks a question that the viewer can relate to even today it gives the movie the ability to be transplanted to the present day. It really isn't hard for me to think about reliving the day over and over again - I mean, it's not like this idea is restricted to some 1990s mentality. Timelessness is a very important element in how great a comedy is in my opinion.

This brings me to another great thing about Groundhog Day: its rewatch factor. Ironically, for a movie about something happening over and over, Groundhog Day can be rewatched over and over and still be funny. Perhaps because of the above question that it raises or perhaps because of the humor. The humor obviously plays a huge role as some scenes are hilarious no matter how many times I see them. For instance, the punch of Ned or the second snowball fight followed by the awkward kiss by Phil make me laugh each and every time. Other scenes are equally priceless for their own reasons: the montage of slaps, the montage of suicides, the Jeopardy! scene, the time Phil is in the restaurant and gorges himself on all the pastries, or the dating scenes with Nancy. Each and every one of these scenes creates a different emotional reaction in me but they're all equally amazing.

Overall, I gave this film a 10/10. Groundhog Day is absurdly funny each and every viewing. Further, it raises deep philosophical questions. But the movie can still be good even when you don't even really think long and hard on these questions. However the case may be, it all adds up to an incredible film that's great year in and year out.