Great Performance by Murray

Rating: Null/10 (5 June 2013)

Groundhog Day (1993)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Bill Murray turns in a wonderful performance as an obnoxious jerk weatherman who finds himself covering some Groundhog Day events but at the end of the day he finds himself waking up having to repeat the day over and over again. GROUNDHOG DAY appears to have become one of the biggest classics of the decade but I remember watching it in 1993 and not caring too much for it. This here was my first time revisiting the title and I'll admit that I liked it a tad bit more but at the same time I still don't see what everyone else sees in it. There's no question that there are some funny moments and there's no question that Murray does a fantastic job but at the same time the film just doesn't work for me. I think the biggest reason it just doesn't work is because I don't find it all that funny. This is especially true for various scenes that are constantly getting replayed over and over, although they're obviously done in different ways as Murray starts to realize what's going on. It's weird but I really like the concept here of the same thing being repeated but at the same time it's just not all that funny to me. I think what comedy does work is due to Murray's performance. I think what works so well with the performance is that we can believe him as the jerk as well as the transformation into the nice guy. Murray gets to play many different sides to this character and he really nails all of them. As the jerk you can't stand him but he slowly makes you care for the guy and especially towards the end. I think the character development here is actually a lot better than many dramas out there. Andie MacDowell makes for a good love interest and we get nice support from the likes of Chris Elliott and Brian Doyle-Murray. Again, I understand that this film is loved by many. To me it's a flawed film with one great performance and a few nice laughs.