Bill Murray is at his wisecracking best in this romantic comedy about a weatherman caught in a personal time warp on the worst day of his life! Teamed with a relentlessly cheery producer (Andie MacDowell) and a smart aleck cameraman, TV weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to cover the annual 'Groundhog Day' festivities. On his way out of town, Phil is caught in a giant blizzard - which he himself actually failed to predict - and finds himself stuck in a small town hell. Just when things couldn't get worse, they do! Phil wakes the next morning to find that it's Groundhog Day all over again. And again. And again. During the recurring 24 hour nightmare, Phil starts to realise that he can also use it to his advantage; to re-write the events of his day, and to generally have a whale of a time. But manipulating his day to capture the one woman he really wants is not quite so easy...
Directed by
Harold Ramis
Written by
Danny Rubin (story) Danny Rubin (screenplay) and Harold Ramis (screenplay)
Starring
Bill Murray (Phil Connors); Andie MacDowell (Rita); Chris Elliott (Larry); Stephen Tobolowsky (Ned Ryerson); Brian Doyle-Murray (Buster Green); Marita Geraghty (Nancy Taylor); Angela Paton (Mrs. Lancaster); Rick Ducommun (Gus); Rick Overton (Ralph); Robin Duke (Doris, the Waitress); Carol Bivins (Anchorwoman); Willie Garson (Kenny); Ken Hudson Campbell (Man in Hallway); Les Podewell (Old Man); Rod Sell (Groundhog Official). Please contact SFC to add other cast members and characters.
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A subtly Catholic rom-com
Mark Banks (United Kingdom)
Opinion: Recommended
I was pondering why 'Groundhog Day' was on so many Catholic films lists (the 'Crisis top-50' list, the 'Herald 100' list, as well as my own top-100), when it has no clear Catholic elements - e.g. a Catholic priest, a church scene or something of the like. And then I saw where it was - I saw where Jesus was in this movie... he's the old man begging for some coins to buy a meal or a cup of coffee. At first and second passes Phil ignores him, but eventually he is taken into the restaurant for a hot meal. It's a small and simple thing, but recognising this man's poverty is an essential part of Phil's character development. Another 'Catholic' moment might also be in Phil's repeated failed attempts to commit suicide - we see that they solve nothing, and ultimately it is honesty, integrity, faith and persistence that pay off instead. Anyway, on top of those elements that I spotted, the acting throughout the film is spot-on, with Murray deserving an Oscar for his role, and the finely comic script is now a classic that in truth was also deserving of an Oscar. 'Groundhog Day' has many more pointers on life, relationships and 'character growth' that make for refreshing viewing in today's world of saccharine rom-coms. Come on Harold Ramis – you can do better than ‘Year One’!
