The perfect comedy, with the perfect comedy actor

Rating: 10/10 (21 August 2013)

When weatherman Phil (Bill Murray) travels to a small town for its annual Groundhog Day, he ends up living the same day over and over again. At first, it is a curse, but he soon finds that he can use it to his advantage.
I wish I could tell you why it's taken me over twenty-six years to watch 'Groundhog Day' but, in truth, there isn't a good reason. There's no excuse for being deprived of such a fantastically written, fantastically acted romantic comedy.
Yeah. I liked it.
There's no disputing how talented Bill Murray is – if you've seen Ghostbusters or Caddyshack (or even The Royal Tenenbaums for more contemporary audiences), you already know. This, though, is his tour-de-force. It's not often that he's given the chance to play a leading man, but he does it with ease. His chemistry with Andie MacDowell is brilliant, as is his interplay with the other actors in the film. We could talk about how good everyone else is, and they are good, but that would take away from Murray. This is his movie, and he deserves all the accolades.
But the writing needs to be commended too. Despite the somewhat frothy nature of the film, it does tackle some very serious topics. The idea of death; of immortality; of ego; of man's place in the world; of love. Pretty heavy stuff, all aptly handled within this 100-or-so-minute light comedy.
I could probably try and think of something to criticise, in the interest of balanced journalism. But I won't do that. This film is a joy to see, and that's exactly how it should be remembered. You just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.