A wonderful fantasy/comedy -- actually about spirituality

Rating: 9/10 (11 January 2001)

Groundhog Day, the holiday, provides the springboard for a lively romantic tale, very funny -- with about twenty times the imagination of most such fare. The subject, the hidden message (not hidden very deeply), if you will, is about what it feels like to be stuck -- to be unable to transcend your own problems and limitations. Sounds like a film about learning to be mature, about being willing to listen to others, learning to care about them. These are spiritual matters. But this film has Bill Murray, right? And what a fine job he does. No one would go to see a straight-out religious film about learning to be kind, learning to listen, about what really makes living worthwhile -- well, OK, a few people might. But make it into a lively comedy (and why not? Dante's great poem was "The Divine Comedy," after all) -- and you get something like this. "Groundhog Day" should be classed alongside, or even above, to my mind, "It's a Wonderful Life." Every parent should take their kid to see this film -- if you have a larger family, take each one of your kids individually, make the occasion special thereby. Then talk about it together, ask your child they liked about it. This is non-denominational spirituality; Gandhi said "God has no religion." This comedy has that kind of Gandhian quality, in the best sense. This film can be especially wonderful and powerful for young men, even teenagers -- because it seems like Murray's character is happy exploring all kinds of mischief, delighted about getting away with everything -- almost. Then he gets kind of angry. Personally, growing up, especially during my teen years, I thought being angry was what being a man was all about. Not that I always "thought" about it; but a deeper, subconscious feeling lived inside me, the sense that anger would protect me, or make me strong. Hey, don't get me wrong -- seeing this film didn't get me over that. But getting over it, or at leasting understanding where I'd been, etc., was a huge step for me. "Groundhog Day" made me receptive to more positive thinking, because it didn't preach. Oh, did I mention I couldn't stop laughing in the theater and worried about embarrassing other people around me because I was laughing so much? Most of them were laughing, too. A great film; I really believe that. People love Charlie Chaplin's "Little Tramp" -- the same kind of sentiment applies for me to this film. I buy very few films, since renting nowadays, and cable and satellite dishes all work so well. But "Groundhog Day" is one of about ten videos I've bought in the last twenty years. And it's the most watched and rewatched of the lot.