Today is the worst day of your life, but at least tomorrow you’ll wake up and it will all be over, right? But what happens when it’s not over, when you wake up and it is the exact same, awful day that you just lived? And tomorrow too- the exact same thing. This is weatherman Phil Connors’ waking nightmare in 1993’s Groundhog Day, directed by Harold Ramis. Forced to live Groundhog Day over and over again, with seemingly no end in sight, Phil tests the boundaries of…just about everything. Slowly but surely, his dire situation gets to him, and Phil comes around to become a mindful and selfless man.
The heart of Groundhog Day is Bill Murray’s portrayal of Phil Connors. His effortless ability to make a man the Washington Post described as “walking halitosis” (eventually) likable is something few other actors possess. Every snide remark of Connors’ is as funny as the last, and the experience of watching the same day happen again and again and already knowing what will happen only builds on the humor- what’s he gonna say now?
I’ll admit that I wasn’t eager to watch this film and I was pressured into it by my dad- but even now I have to admit that it has its reputation as the time-loop film for a reason. When compared to other loops, which I watch an alarming amount of, Groundhog Day takes a very long time to run it’s course. Speculation about just how long Phil was stuck in Punxsutawney is very prevalent (even my dad asked me to count how many days he had been stuck…I gave up very quickly). The general consensus is about 30 years, and compared to other time loops that is a really long time- so long it’s actually terrifying. That is what sets Groundhog Day apart from other films like it: just how long it takes for Phil’s journey to complete itself.
Overall, I would rate this film an 8/10, mainly for the humor. Unfortunately, for a film called Groundhog Day, there is very little groundhog- so if you’re interested in learning more about the rodent, this is not the film for you. Ultimately, Groundhog Day is the perfect film for comedy-lovers. It’s relatively laid back, with a sweet (for as sweet as “walking halitosis” can get) romantic plot, and some slapstick humor. It’s something to put on when you don’t want to think too much, but it’s also something to put on when you want to think hard about something (like how long Phil was actually stuck in Punxsutawney).
