It's time to watch "Groundhog Day"...again.

Rating: 9/10 (2 February 2015)

Some movies are enjoyed by millions and even critically acclaimed when they are first released, but end up being largely forgotten. Then there are those movies that are so original, so well-done, so reflective of their times, or so impactful on the culture that they never leave our memories. These are the films that seem to constantly hover in the back of our conscious minds, available to be instantly brought to the forefront when we encounter a situation, a phrase or even just a mood that reminds us of the first time we saw it. "Groundhog Day" (1993) is such a movie.
It made a good profit during its initial run (according to Wikipedia, earning $70.9 million in North America, making it the 13th highest grossing movie of 1993), but the movie has become even better appreciated and loved over the years. It has made many "Best of" movie lists and has been preserved by the Library of Congress. Even the legendary critic Roger Ebert, in his "Great Movies" essay, according to Wikipedia, wrote that "he had initially underestimated the film's many virtues and only came to truly appreciate it through repeated viewings." But the film's impact is even deeper and broader than those facts suggest. Think about it. When people refer to a case of seemingly never-ending repetition, they often refer to it as being "like groundhog day". They're not talking about the annual event in Pennsylvania and various other locations around the nation. They're talking about the movie. THAT'S significant impact. When was the last time that YOU checked out this cinematic gem? If it's been awhile, or if you've never seen it, read on.
Bill Murray stars as Chuck Connors, a clever, but arrogant Pittsburgh TV weatherman who is dreading his annual trip to nearby Punxsutawney to cover Groundhog Day, or as he calls it, "a large rodent predicting the weather." His new and vivacious producer, Rita Hanson (Andie MacDowell) does her best to keep him happy and help get the job done, while their cameraman, Larry (Chris Elliott), has learned to just put up with Phil. On his way from his room in a cozy B&B to his on-camera gig, Phil encounters a number of people whom he writes off as "hicks", including a friendly hotel guest on the stairs, the proprietor of the B&B, Mrs. Lanchester (Angela Paton), and an old high school classmate named Ned Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky) who tries to sell him insurance. After running this gauntlet, he gets to the site just in time, does a brief, sarcastic on-camera commentary and gets ready to get the heck out of Dodge. To Phil's consternation, their van gets turned around on the highway by a blizzard moving in, a blizzard which, ironically, Phil had predicted would miss that area. But a botched weather forecast and an unexpected return to Punxsutawney are only the beginning of Phil's problems.
The next morning, Phil wakes up in the same room as the day before, to the same song on the radio, with the disc jockeys saying the same things and meeting the same people in the same places saying the same things as the day before – because it IS the day before! As Phil says in his on camera report, "It's Groundhog Dayagain." It soon starts looking like it's going to be February 2nd for the rest of Phil's life. As Phil goes through the cinematic equivalent of purgatory, at first, he's confused, and then he's frustrated. Then he expresses a desire to get stuck in a better day but starts trying to enjoy the consequence-free nature of this one, even to the point of manipulating people (especially Rita, whom he wants to fall for him). Soon, Phil despairs to the point of trying to kill himself and then he resigns himself to what seems to be his fate. It's almost as if he's going through the classic stages of grief – grief over the life he has lost – the kind of life we all take for granted, the ability to wake up tomorrow and actually have it BE tomorrow. "What if there IS no tomorrow?" Phil once shouts in frustration. "There wasn't one today!" Eventually, after untold numbers of years stuck in the same day (the actual number of re-dos being the topic of much debate), Phil begins using his virtual omniscience for good and becomes a better person for it. (Just in case anyone reading this hasn't seen the movie, I won't spoil it by telling you whether Rita eventually falls for Phil or if he breaks free from his cycle of February 2nds.) The late, great Harold Ramis co-wrote, directed (and briefly appears in) this classic comedy, which is much more than the sum of its parts. The script is sharp and witty, the direction and editing are skilled and the film is perfectly cast. This movie is original, clever and very funny, but is also very meaningful. I won't over-analyze the movie and ruin it for anyone, or deprive you of your own interpretations, but I will say that there is a lot of symbolism in this movie and some lessons on the importance of having unselfish priorities. Now, as long as this retro review is already, I could say more, but I'm writing this on the evening of February 2nd and I'm excited about what that means. It's time to watch "Groundhog Day"again!