See it again and again...

Rating: 8/10 (5 January 2015)

After I saw it for the first time, I saw it again... and again... and again. Kind of like Bill Murray's character must have felt in this awesome romantic comedy.
We all wish occasionally that we could turn back time to fix our mistakes. Murray, portraying a TV weatherman trapped in a one-day time loop actually gets to do it. At first, he does not realize what good luck he has. Reporting on groundhog's weather prediction capabilities is about on his list where a root canal ranks. He's just that kind of a cynical ass. When he wakes up on the same day over and over again, it seems the gods have punished him. But then he begins to fall for his intelligent and pretty colleague. At first, he woos her with cheap one- liners and tricks that just don't seem to work. Then he starts making life-changing efforts, such as spending months (years?) to study the piano so he can impress her. Still not right, but you now realize how serious he has become, spending years of his life learning something constructive to achieve a goal. After a near-death experience to get out of the loop, he is finally redeemed, and the gods seem more merciful.
The movie is great on many levels. As a modern scrooge story; as a romantic comedy; as fantasy. You name it. It is well directed, well edited, and well played by all. A truly remarkable achievement among 90s comedies, which features quite a few good films in the US and abroad in that genre.
Well, I'm going to have to see it again...