Absolutely Wonderful!

Rating: 9/10 (13 October 2005)

This (along with Lost in Translation) is my favorite Bill Murray movie. It has everything needed to make it a classic movie. It has a highly innovative story, excellent acting and something else which cannot be described but you feel it.
Bill Murray stars in this film which in essence is a film about a man who relives the same day over and over and over. If you can get past the fact that this is impossible you are in for a hell of a movie treat. As I see it the storyline is perfect for character development and great gags. Without saying too much I can say that the main character, who is the only one who can actually remember the day before, plays on this and seduces women. The writer originally wanted the audience to join the main character as he had already been trapped in this time loop for many years (he doesn't age, how can he when the day before never happened?) and he knows everything about everyone. This approach was thankfully abandoned because watching Bill Murray react to his predicament is nothing short of priceless. He is initially intrigued by the concept and abuses his situation but eventually there is a change in the character. What changes I will leave to future viewers to find out for themselves. The film graces a few philosophical questions but nothing more than that because the objective of the film is entertainment and it succeeds brilliantly in its goals.
The cast is stellar. Bill Murray, one of our time's greatest actors both comedy wise and dramatically, does an excellent job. His comic timing is flawless and his underplayed and sometimes quite dark humor works brilliantly on screen. Also he portrays the changes in his character with great skill. Pure movie magic. Andie MacDowell, who in my opinion is a very underrated actress, does a great job as well. She is instantly likable and the audience relates to her character immediately because of this. Her reactions are highly believable and this of course adds to the overall credibility of the film. Chris Elliot gracefully underacts his part which is a good thing because the emphasis is on Murray's character but he serves his purpose to great effect. Stephen Tobolowsky steals every scene he is in and contrary to Chris Elliot he overacts every scene he is in but he stays within the confines of believable so his character too works magnificently and creates a lot of laughs. Other than the actors mentioned the supporting cast is excellent. What few scenes Brian Doyle-Murray, Bill Murray's brother, is in he makes his own.
Overall the film's cinematography and sets work pretty well but as the emphasis is on the characters its not really worth mentioning aside from what I've just said. The music is another thing which is very good. The score by George Fenton is excellent and fresh. It doesn't sound like something we've heard before and therefore adds to the originality of the film which is already substantial.
The whole concept of the film might sound a bit pretentious but it doesn't feel that way. In fact it feels very down to earth because of the characters' believable reactions and seemingly genuine emotions.
All in all an excellent, highly original comedy that is definitely worth a look.
9/10