Today is Yesterday's Tomorrow

Rating: 8/10 (7 November 2003)

Before putting electronic pen to electronic paper, I carefully read through all other users' comments which are predominately highly favourable. I too must add my paen of praise.This is one of the funniest and most original of Hollywood films and a tour de force for Bill Murray - the perfect actor for the principal role of the tv weather man.The "Ghostbusters" connection works well with a very humourous and thought provoking script directed by Harold Ramis.The plot and main philosophical sentiments have aleady been adequately aired below, especially by our friend resident in China.All I will add is, "Amor Vincit Omnia".This film will appeal to succeeding generations as the truths and theme of the film are universal and timeless.
As I had a sudden urge to see this film one evening, I had to e-mail my son at Bristol University to ascertain its whereabouts in the house (as he is an avid collector of dvds and I am useless at looking for things).I had previously looked at the evening paper on the way home and I could see "nothing on" worth viewing on the multifarious terrestial and digital channels to which we subscribe.Bill Murray's dead-pan humour and sense of the ridiculous really appeals to me, especially the touch of irony that he imbues into his roles.I especially laughed when the cops stopped the car he has been driving with the two deadbeats and casually asks the officer for flapjacks while he is being booked for dangerous driving.Perhaps we can "forgive" the scriptwiters for a predicatable happy ending because we all want to feel good at its conclusion.
Music is something I especially pay attention to when viewing films and we have an admirable selection here which enhances the action in the major scenes, from classical - Variations on a theme by Paganini (I also detected Mozart), to contemporary jazz, to "pop", which will appeal to most musical tastes.
The mark of a good comedy should be, did it genuinely make you make you laugh? Most certainly It did.For another example of Bill Murray playing the "miserable old git" see "Scrooged", another heartwarming Christmas piece about redemption of the spirit (with aplogies to Charles Dickens).