Wonderful, A Christmas Carol for all seasons

Rating: 10/10 (21 October 2003)

I'm surprised this movie isn't more widely appreciated, it's at least as life affirming as the Shawshank Redemption which seems to be over appreciated (a nice film though). I think the title doesn't help, especially outside the USA. When I first heard of this movie I expected some gross-out comedy to be watched with a few beers on a Saturday night. What a wonderful surprise it was to see a movie I knew would always be one of my all-time favourites.
This is a light-hearted movie on the surface with intellectual and emotional depth underneath. One of the best interpretations I've read compares Phil's predicament with Nietzsche's concept of eternal recurrence - try to imagine how you would live your life, every instant of it, if you knew all those instants would recur again and again for eternity, unchanged.
This simple (but devastating) idea is explored in a delightful and enjoyable story that will surely be watched again and again in years to come.