Romantic comedy with a twist!

Rating: 8/10 (4 May 2013)

Harold Ramis's "Groundhog Day" (1993) is a romantic comedy that is filled with laughter, love, and at times a feeling of hopelessness, over and over again. "Groundhog Day" is a about a local, self-centered weatherman named Phil Connors (Bill Murray) who has been sent to cover the infamous February 2nd festivities, better known as Groundhog Day, in a small town named Punxsutawney, Pa. Teamed with his lovely, well- grounded producer named Rita (Andie MacDowell) and his young, wise cracking cameraman named Larry (Chris Elliot), the three make the annual pilgrimage from Pittsburg to Punxsutawney for this historic event.
We all know the story behind the famous date of February 2nd. If the "weather predicting rat" (groundhog) as Phil calls it, comes out from its burrow and sees his shadow then it's another 6 weeks of winter. If no shadow appears, then happy days are here because spring is near. Although Phil has been to the small town of Punxsutawney five times to cover the festivities, he does not intend to spend any longer than necessary to uncover the story, announce the prediction and get back on the road to Pittsburg. Phil wraps up the story, Larry packs the van and the three get on the road to head home. Here lies the problem, a winter storm is brewing and moving in the direction of Punxsutawney. The crew did not make it far before the road was closed by the Highway Patrol and were directed to return to Punxsutawney much to Phil's dislike. This is where Phil's vicious loop of the dreaded February 2nd begins.
The storyline of "Groundhog Day" closely reminds us of the film "Yes Man" (2008) starring Jim Carrey as Carl Allen. In this story, Carl has committed to saying "yes" to everything. Soon he understands the magical power of the word yes" and his life is turned upside, sideways, and all around. Soon, Carl discovers a new love in his life, Allison, played by Zooey Deschanel and attempts to convince her that his love for her is real and he is not just saying that under this magical spell. Groundhog Day allows Phil to relive February 2nd over and over again. This motif gives Phil the latitude to develop his character during the film. He learns to be a better person through caring for an elderly gentleman, taking piano lessons, and reading more books and poetry. His sense of maturity is soon recognized by his attractive producer and sparks an interest to him.
During this film there was not much use of lighting and colors. This could have been partly because of the mood that Phil Connors was feeling in addition to the dreariness of the nearby winter storm. This lack of lighting gave the appearance the days were meek and mild with overcast.
Many times the camera angle gave the impression that they were stationary utilizing an objective point of view just to observe the action. However, there were times during the film when the cameras would pan overhead to recognize a crowd gathering at Gobblers Knob or give a subjective point of view like when Phil steals Punxsutawney Phil and drives over the cliff at the rock quarry. When Phil appeared in his bed every morning, the film crew utilized a high camera to stare down at Phil as he was lying in his bed before his alarm clock would go off at 6:00 am.
No matter how many times you see this film, it will leave a lasting impression. The term "groundhog day" has become part of the free dictionary meaning a situation that repeats itself. This film is entertaining providing good, clean, wholesome comedy with a romantic twist that appears to never end.