It's that day... again.

Rating: 8/10 (5 May 2007)

Bill Murray plays a complete jerk. That's okay because you know that it's going to come out all right in the end.
The fun in this movie is seeing the character arc of Phil Conners. We're never told in so many words just why he's condemned to live the same day over and over. It seems that it does have something to do with how very nasty Phil is at the start of things.
He hates his job, doesn't care for his co-workers and really doesn't want to be covering Groundhog Day again. So fate steps in and stops time for Phil. He's not going to get past that day until he reforms.
It doesn't happen overnight. He spends dozens, if not hundreds of Groundhog Days in Punxatawney. At first he just acts worse, taking advantage of the simple people of the town. But then he realizes that he's in love with his producer (Andie McDowall).
So he's got this same day to run over and over again to convince her that he's not a total jerk. And, in order to do that, he needs to reform himself. At first it's just superficial stuff, like remembering her favorite ice cream. But then he has to go beyond that and truly become the man of her dreams. And do it in the few hours that he's got until the whole thing resets again.
Bill Murray works wonderfully in this role. His low-key style of humor fits in well with his road to rehabilitation.
This film is one of the "few" I have in my collection. I only buy titles that I'm likely to play over and over. And, about once a month, I do watch it over again.
A wonderful movie. I recommend it highly.