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Bill Murray became famous as a regular on television’s Saturday Night Live, then he moved on to motion pictures. His early films were successful, funny, and forgettable, like Meatballs and Stripes. It seemed he might drift that way indefinitely, turning out films that were good but not great. Then came Groundhog Day.
Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the screenplay with Danny Rubin and also directed, had worked with Murray before, and he knew just how to showcase the actor’s comic and dramatic gifts.
Phil Connors (Murray) is trapped in career purgatory—or so he thinks. For the fourth year in a row, the Pittsburgh meteorologist is assigned to cover the Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawny, Pennsylvania. He grumpily rides to the scene in a news van with his producer, Rita (Andie MacDowell), and cameraman, Larry (Chris Elliot).
After checking into his bed and breakfast, Phil sets the alarm for 6:00 and hits the hay. He is awakened next day by “I Got You Babe” by Sonny and Cher, along with the chatter of two DJs. He does an uninspired report at the Groundhog festivities, and he can’t wait to leave. But a freak blizzard sends the crew back to Punxsutawny, where they spend all of February 2nd. Phil goes to sleep in the same bed, and so it begins.
The next day, it’s Groundhog Day again. And the next day…and the one after that.
Phil goes through a number of phases as the day repeats itself ad finitum—and this is where most of the laughs come in. The perfectly cast Murray provides the lion’s share, though the droll Larry, as played by Elliot, gets a few great lines as well.
Phil needs insight to escape his situation, and Rita is the key. At one point, she helps him through an entire day, trying to understand his dilemma and bucking him up. “Gosh, you’re an upbeat lady!” he says to her, only half joking. Because she is upbeat. Viewers have known all along how special Rita is, putting up with Phil’s antics through most of the film, and it’s a pleasure to see Phil come to that realization as well. MacDowell does a wonderful job here, portraying Rita as patient, intelligent, and caring. And she looks like an angel, whether she’s standing in the snow or hanging out at the town’s Tip Top Café.
When Phil begins to help the townspeople he used to scorn, you’ll be rooting for him and wishing you could clap him on the back. Groundhog Day starts out as a routine comedy that somehow becomes a powerful study in spiritualism—one that will have you cheering and aspiring to be a better human being.
Comedies with this kind of depth stay with you; they’re hard to forget. But Groundhog Day is one that you’ll watch over and over—in my case, every few years. I don’t mind a little déjà vu.
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