What's not to like about this film?!

Rating: 9/10 (30 May 2008)

While GROUNDHOG DAY is not my favorite Bill Murray comedy, it is one of three brilliant comedies he made during the early 90s and all three are absolute must-sees. And, interestingly enough, while the film is very funny, it also has some wonderful and poignant moments--something I usually hate in comedies.
The plot is pretty simple. Murray plays a jerk or a TV weather man who is sent against his will to cover the annual festivities concerning America's second favorite rodent, Punxsutawney Phil, as he tells us whether or not we'll have a long, hard winter (a very stupid tradition if you ask me). Naturally after having done this repeated times he's less than thrilled, but there's more to it than that--Murray is a nasty jerk and he delights in looking down on all the locals that take such pride in this event. Apparently, the fate is not happy with Murray, as he is oddly punished and made to repeat this same day again and again and again. Why exactly is unknown but his reactions to this exact same day are priceless--ranging from insanely funny to weird to touching.
In addition to Murray's excellent performance, Andi McDowell does a good job in support and the film makers really did a wonderful job of capturing the wacky essence of small town America as well as creating a wonderful and quirky script.
This film is terrific--you must see this film...now!