25th Anniversary!

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2018)

The day depends on how you look at it. This truth really sinks in for celebrity weather reporter Phil Connors in returning to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover Groundhog Day. Oddly enough, he wakes each morning at the same time and place as the morning before and, unlike everyone else, retains memories from the proceeding day. At first Phil, selfish and shallow, utilizes the new-found knowledge to take advantage of others; stealing the hearts of beautiful women and bags of money. Telling people what they want to hear, of which he has uncanny knowledge, works like a charm. This is until he attempts to woo Rita, the network producer. Phil works relentlessly to get into her head and appear to like everything she likes; French poetry, the piano, acting spontaneously, ice cream and kids, yet Rita is not so easily deceived. No matter what he does, she sees right through him. To win Rita's heart, Phil must change his own.
In the 25 years since this film was released it has found a place in the American psyche. This feel good combination of comedy, fantasy and romance currently ranks #233, five places ahead of Jaws, on the widely used film database IMDb. This popularity has much to do with the film's valuable lessons regarding self-awareness and sincerity, and with the appealing star power of Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell (both are excellent here). Despite its simplicity and awful B-movie quality beginning, the film attains unexpected heights in spite of itself. This mirrors the path taken by the main character as well as the film's 25 year rise in cultural esteem. This was the first time I watched the film. Michael Shannon makes a surprising appearance.