What would you do if you relive the same day?

Rating: 7/10 (12 March 2014)

Groundhog Day has a very interesting starting point: What if the whole world relives the same day over and over again and only man notices this? In the movie it seems that Phil Connors (played by Bill Murray) is the only person who relives the 2nd of February over and over again but of course all the people living in small Punxsutawney relive this day. Everything they experience is forgotten the moment that they wake up again when it is the 2nd of February again and also their physical condition is the same as on their wake-up on the day before. Notice that Phil can save lives but if he doesn't interfere the deceased will also wake-up next morning. It is even possible (although we don't see this) that a baby is born over and over again because in the morning he is back in his or hers mama's belly. Or that Phil impregnates a woman (he makes love to at least one woman in the film) and that the fertilized ovum is unimpregnated again when the woman wakes up.
Phil Connors is a weatherman who desperately wants to make career steps but without them is forced to do reports on local events like the annual Groundhog Day where an animal predicts if the winter will be long that year. He undergoes a terrible day in Punxsutawney and is extremely annoyed when he is forced to stay one night longer because of a blizzard that he didn't predicted. When his alarm goes off at six o'clock he notices that everything is the same as the day before. During the days his mood changes from confused to indifferent to desperate. He doesn't care for his health anymore because he doesn't get older, fatter or injured. At one point he is so in despair that he tries suicide in many different ways knowing that he will get up next morning in perfect health.
In the end he settles for learning activities like chainsaw sculpture and playing the piano. Besides that he tries to seduce his producer Rita (Andie MacDowell). At first he tries to impress her by collecting all information from her about things she likes. But one day is not enough and every day he has to start all over again. In the end he tells her the truth and convinces her by showing all the knowledge he has about the town and its inhabitants and predicting all the events happening that day. After spending the night with her he notices a different song from his alarm clock and finally (and without specific reason) it is the 3rd of February.
As in all films that play a game with time there are some plot holes. Phil is the only person noticing but Rita makes a hint at one point that she has the feeling that she has a déjà-vu. No reason at all is given why Punxsutawney is in time-loop. It is mentioned in reviews that the reason is for Bill to become a better person and the time-loop stops when he has achieved that. During the film Bill becomes an expert in chainsaw sculpting and a master at the piano. That these talents require also some physical changes (strong muscles and flexible fingers) implicates that some changes of the body don't disappear the next morning. As a viewer I also wondered if the time-loop was bound to Punxsutawney. During the movie there is no mention of contact with the rest of the world and I never saw Phil trying to escape the place before the roads were blocked because of the blizzard.
Bill Murray had mentioned that he preferred Groundhog Day to be a more philosophical movie instead of a romantic comedy. I understand that completely. There is a short story by Stephen King where a young boy goes to eternity and is coming out completely mad. Phil doesn't have to go that far but after 10 or 38 years (the time that probably has elapsed before there is a real next day) your mental state would be pretty mixed-up. Director Harold Ramis chose to make another movie and concentrates on the humor (which is outstanding) and the romance between Phil and Rita. And therefore the film looses a lot of his appeal. There's not really chemistry between Murray and MacDowell and the movie is too centered on the character of Phil to let the love story fully develop. But in the end Groundhog Day is an excellent comedy with some philosophical issues that makes you think what you would do when you were in the same situation. Probably watching movies every day and still remember them next day without getting fat because of the chips, popcorn and cola. Only a shame that my reviews on IMDb would be erased when I log in the next day.