When tomorrow is not necessarily another day ...

Rating: 10/10 (1 September 2011)

"Groundhog Day" is one of the best films of 1993, and essentially works as a comedic relief in a year characterized by heavy dramas such as "Schindler's List", "The Piano" or "Philadelphia".
It's also an incredible achievement on the writing department with one of the most creatively ingenuous plot devices : having a man living the same day, over and over again. As usual, the thin frontier between simplicity and genius provides, in the comedy genre, a goldmine for gags and humorous situations, mostly based on the comedy of repetition.
But, there's no better comedy than a comedy with a heart, and Harold Ramis wrote us a heart-warming story of a man, re-examining his life, through an endless series of chaotic, tender, hilarious or dramatic situations.
"Groundhog Day" is an inspiring story of redemption, carried in a virtuoso performance by one of the greatest comedic actors: the one and only Bill Murray.
AND THANKS FOR READING.
"Groundhog Day" is one of the best films of 1993, and essentially works as a comedic relief in a year characterized by heavy dramas such as "Schindler's List", "The Piano" or "Philadelphia".
It's also an incredible achievement on the writing department as it invites you to question your personal approach to life, if you had to live the same day over and over again, which happens to be a subtle allegory of the eternal question: "What would you do if this day was your last day on Earth" Imagine, having no responsibilities, no worries for your health, for any inconvenience, an ephemeral life dedicated for a hedonistic carelessness.
But, there's no better comedy than a comedy with a heart and the heart of the film is the amazing performance of Bill Murray as Phil Connors who, through his experience, evolves from a snobby and egocentric TV weatherman to a new person finally understanding the true priorities that should govern his life.
More than a heart-warming fantasy, "Groundhog Day" is a beautifully life-changing story of redemption.
AND THANKS FOR READING.
"Groundhog Day" is one of the best films of 1993, and essentially works as a comedic relief in a year characterized by heavy dramas such as "Schindler's List", "The Piano" or "Philadelphia".
It's also an incredible achievement on the writing department with the story of a man, living the same day over and over again, and after handling this situation with fear and angst, finally understands the amazing value of this strange and never explained gift.
The hero of the film, Phil Connors, an egocentric and snobby weatherman uses this power by making each day the next one's draft, avoiding the same mistakes and blunders, or taking advantages of some situations to satisfy greedy and not so honorable purposes. The movie is a fantasy in the way it truly fantasizes about the impossible capability of giving ourselves eternal second chances, it's the sad basis of our human mortal condition that implies the acceptance of our responsibilities and the consequences even of the most futile actions.
But, there's no better comedy than a comedy with a heart, and the heart of the film lies beneath the redemption of Phil Connor, who will try to improve his own life before learning to act for the others.
"Groundhog Day" is one of the most inspirational stories of redemption.
AND THANKS FOR READING.
"Groundhog Day" is one of the best films of 1993, and essentially works as a comedic relief in a year characterized by heavy dramas such as "Schindler's List", "The Piano" and "Philadelphia".
It's also an incredible achievement on the writing department with the story of Phil Connors, an egocentric and snobby TV weatherman, stuck in a small town with the unpronounceable name of Punxsutawney, to cover the folkloric Groundhog Day, on the second day of February, when the town's mascot, the groundhog -coincidentally named Phil- will 'predict' whether spring will come earlier this year or not.
Phil, I mean the man, is obnoxious, sarcastic and hardly inspires the sympathy of his team : the cameraman and Rita, his assistant. But for some strange reason, Phil is suddenly stuck in a time loop and live the same day over and over again, with the same situations and the same encounters. Progressively, the nightmarish feel is replaced by a domestication of this power which Phil uses by making each day the next one's draft, avoiding the same mistakes and blunders, or taking advantages of some situations through stealing, seducing women and being totally irresponsible with no fear of long-term consequences.
The movie is a fantasy in the way it fantasizes about the impossibility of giving ourselves eternal second chances, it's the sad basis of our human mortal condition that implies the acceptance of responsibilities and consequences, even of the most futile actions. It's even an evocation of the Schopenhauer's view of world as our own will and representation, which puts us as our own self-referential axis in a universe that can be totally different from another perspective. But interestingly, this power will progressively drives an empathic move in which Phil will help, save people, and learn to dedicate his time for the community, and God knows how much he's got. Punxsutawney is his representation, ordinary peoples' happiness, his eternity.
And as there's no better comedy than a comedy with a heart, the heart of the film is in Phil Connor's redemption and use of the gift to make his life better for him, for the others, and for Rita, played by the beautiful Andie McDowell.
"Groundhog Day" is a story with an inspirational message, carried by Bill Murray's virtuoso performance, and providing some of the funniest cinematic running gags ... including one hell of a face punch!
AND THANKS FOR READING ... AND SORRY FOR THE LENGTH.