Reviews With Music

If I had to choose a stand-alone film as my absolute favorite, meaning I couldn’t pick trilogies or epics that could otherwise constitute two or more films if divided into manageable pieces….than I would immediately, and without hesitation, choose the contemporary classic Groundhog Day. This 1993 marvel, by Harold Ramis. . or the Ghostbuster Egon for the layman, is everything a film should be. It’s enlightening, it’s entertaining, it’s funny and heartfelt, it’s beautiful and sincere, and above all it MAKES YOU THINK!!! It’s messages are both subtle and obvious, but they never feel forced. Indeed, nothing in the movie feels heavy-handed. It’s all done with an effortless confidence that belies the complexity of the themes presented in the narrative.

Bill Murray plays Phil Connors, a Pittsburgh weatherman who’s tasked with going to Punxatowney Philadelphia every February 2nd for the Groundhog Day Festival. He’s a conceited, self-important misanthrope who despises his job and ultimately himself, though he does a good job of hiding this through sarcasm and by distancing himself from others. His producer Rita, played by Andie Macdowell….is a bright, bubbly optimist who Phil becomes smitten with shortly after they meet. Unfortunately for Phil, Rita could never see him as a potential partner because of his false facade. But despite how unhappy he is, Phil stubbornly refuses to change for himself, let alone anyone else, and so he’s caught in a trap of perpetual suffering and unfilfilment from which he can’t escape.

Thus we enter Groundhog Day. Even before the day that wouldn’t end, we can see that Phil was stuck in a pattern that repeated over and over again, bringing him nothing but pain and self-loathing. When he starts waking up in the same Bed and Breakfast on February 2nd in an endless cycle, his mentality reers it’s ugly head to bring him the worst day of his life for an eternity. The best thing about this wonderfully unique thematic device is that the time-loop is NEVER EXPLAINED. And why should it have to be? These things HAPPEN! If only Phil realized that the Universe was giving him an incredible gift sooner, he could’ve saved himself a world of hurt. He was presented with a staggering opportunity that ….given the right perception….could lead him to become the man he’s always wanted to be. But first, he had to demolish his ego….the beast that was keeping him from really experiencing life and from being acquainted with his true self.

And how does he come to this realization? Only after years of ignoring the truth that was staring him in the face. In the screenplay, the writer claimed Phil repeated Groundhog Day around ten-thousand years, which is a Buddhist belief dealing with spiritual enlightenment and self-actualization. Harold Ramis believed he repeated the day around ten years. It doesn’t really matter in my opinion. It took Phil as long as it took him to GET IT DONE! He could’ve changed his perspective in a minute if he wanted and thus avoided all the suffering he put himself through. But apparently it took him a long time to realize that being yourself and enjoying life is the POINT of everything…and that connection can only be established (either romantically or otherwise) if you are willing to be honest with yourself about who you are and what you want.

There are far too many messages within this film to cover in a short review. In fact, I once wrote an essay about this film for a college class, and there are many books, dissertations, and even master thesis’ available which reveal the depth of this cinematic masterpiece. The film touches upon Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic, Gnostic, and even Atheistic beliefs without ever seeming preachy. If you’re wondering how a film could have all these religious truths and STILL appeal to Atheists, I’ll give you an example. At the end, Phil realizes that he’ll never escape from Groundhog Day, so he might as well ENJOY it. He helps others because it makes him feel good. He personifies the age-old wisdom “virtue is it’s own reward”. . and performs good deeds not for some heavenly reward but because it’s the right thing to do. And subsequently he finds meaning AND happiness in his life! Of course, if you view this from a religious perspective…you can also say that by becoming a better person and changing his way of thinking, he found redemption. . and was eventually awarded with waking up on February 3rd and being able to move on with his existence. But again, if I were to discuss every nugget of wisdom in this film. .. . I would LITERALLY be writing another two-thousand word essay on the subject, and I’m not getting paid for this so screw you.

Groundhog Day may not be a perfect film from a cinematic standpoint, as Andie MacDowell was horribly miscast and certain events shouldn’t have occurred had Harold Ramis been overly particular about the time mechanism he employed (ie; people shouldn’t have been in certain locations if Phil took longer to exit his bedroom on some days rather than others)…but I’ll be damned if it’s not the most enjoyable romantic comedy in the history of cinema. You know I love hyperbole so I’ll praise this film until the day I die, loudly and with the utmost sincerity: this movie will help me attain enlightenment. And even before then, if I applied it’s lessons within my life. . .I could begin to live as Phil does….purposefully, happily, and for the moment.

This movie is, without a doubt, one of the most important and under-rated films in the last 20 years. An unbelievable accomplishment, Groundhog Day remains the only film of it’s kind that truly has the power to transform my consciousness if I was open and receptive to it’s truths. And who knows? It may have some answers for you as well.