I guess this film would be considered a romantic comedy, but I really think it's much more than that. Harold Ramis' brilliant comedy is accessible while still having an existential quality. If you were immortal, what would you do with your time? What is the point of life… especially when déjà vu becomes a daily occurrence? Would you feel inspired or trapped?
The story follows Phil Connors (Bill Murray, GHOSTBUSTERS), a self-centered weatherman for a Pittsburgh TV station, who has to cover the Groundhog's Day celebration in Punxsutawney. After being trapped in town due to a blizzard, Phil starts living Groundhog's Day over and over again thousands of times. What's ingenious about the story is what Phil does with the chance to live a day over again. At first he's weirded-out, but soon he takes advantage of it to get women into bed, especially Rita (Andie MacDowell, FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL), his new producer.
The sequence where Phil tries to woo Rita, but constantly makes mistakes, then goes back and changes things, is hilarious. But how the attempts end in failure is wonderful and says a lot about Phil's selfishness. There's a great moment when Phil tries to relive a spontaneous moment from the previous version of the day with awkward results. We see Phil go through various stages from depression to delusions of grandeur to genuine kindness. The film obtains an almost spiritual quality, which comes from its themes of redemption, time and selflessness.
Bill Murray is perfect and the chemistry between him and MacDowell is dead on. Chris Elliot as the cameraman Larry has only a few moments, but he delivers them with great timing and droll humor. Other memorable performances come from Stephen Tobolowsky as the forthright insurance salesman Ned Ryerson and Brian Doyle-Murray as the town's mayor Buster Green.
Ramis, whose resume includes NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION and CADDYSHACK, has never helmed a better film. He also helped tweak Danny Rubin's amazing screenplay into what we finally see on screen. The best move the filmmakers made were to avoid explanations. There is no reason for what happens to Phil, which underlines the randomness of his experience, as well as life in general. If you thought Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" was annoying now, just image if it was the song you woke up to everyday? This is one of the most underrated films of all time — a must see.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
