this 'what-if' comedy surpasses all expectations

Rating: 10/10 (12 February 1999)

This surpasses all the expectations one would have for the kind of movie that it appears to be: a whimsical comedy based on a 'what if?' premise, in which some fundamental assumption about the universe around us is altered, to amusing effect. Films in this particular sub-genre (does it have a name? I think of these as 'Twilight Zone' comedies) have a certain appeal for me, but most supply a few laughs, not much more. I usually come away from them with a sense of an opportunity missed, due to sloppy execution or lack of imagination. The screenplay of "Groundhog Day" is outstanding, in that its creators evidently gave much thought to answering the question: if a person found himself inescapably, eternally repeating the same day in his life, just what _would_ he do? The execution of this 'thought experiment' is so thorough that it passes beyond hilarity, beyond cleverness -- though the film has both qualities in abundance -- to reach a level of psychological, even spiritual profundity that puts Groundhog Day in league with the very best examples of its type, "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Carol". All this from a Bill Murray comedy -- who would have thought! ("Scrooged", Bill's own version of the "Christmas Carol" story, wilts in comparison.) Anyone who liked "The Truman Show" ought to love this. It crackles, it surprises, and it even moves, with Murray's dry wit steering us clear of sentimentality. Watch and enjoy it again and again.