An inspirational and witty comic fantasy

Rating: 10/10 (18 March 2001)

This film is amazing. Not only has Harold Ramis used wit and intelligence in a hilarious comedy as he did in Ghostbusters, but he has delivered a feel-good masterpiece that makes one think twice about the direction of their lives. This film had much more than a story to tell, (although it's appearance of The Twilight Zone gone comedy is breathtaking) but it actually enlightens the audience to a whole new world of possibilities within their lives. Bill Murray is at his best as a cruel and cynnical but witty Pittsburg weatherman named Phil Connors. After going to the small but lively town of Punxatawney to report the groundhog festival, he learns that he is doomed to repeat the same day over and over again.... until he gets it right. The antics Phil goes about are wonderfully imaginative, sparking the question in everyone's mind: What would you do if there were no tomorrow? When the film gets a bit more serious, Phil decides to impress the woman he secretly loves (Andie McDowell). Unfortunately, every day she wakes up without any memory of yesterday. Phil is the only one who this happens to.
The interesting aspect of this film, as stated in a prior review, is the unmentioned amount of days Phil repeats. After close analysis I found it to be about twenty years. His learning different talents, such as piano and multiple languages, implies a span of many years. Not to mention that a simple game he learned, throwing cards in a hat, took him months to learn. Imagine all the games he learned besides that. "Is this what you do with eternity?" McDowell asks.