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Groundhog Day (Special Edition) Customer Reviews (61 - 63 of 97 Reviews)

A Comedy Classic-and the DVD makes it even better
When I first saw this movie in the early 90's, I liked it. However, I didn't think that much of it; until I realized later that it stayed with me in a way unusual for most broad comedies.
The plot is simple: a Pittsburgh weatherman reports on the appearance of "Punxstaney Phil" on Groundhog Day and gets stuck in the day. Really stuck-as in he keeps living the day over and over again. He wakes up to the same bad music (Sonny and Cher), runs into the same annoying high school friend, meets up with his perky, lovely producer and cynical cameraman (Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliot), and sees the groundhog come out again and again. For the others, the day is new and fresh each time. For our hero, it is same old, same old. Eventually, he begins to realize he can "work" with the situation (e.g., freak people out by knowing what will happen, do outrageous things with no consequence).
Bill Murray's deadpan, slightly improvisational style works beautifully in this role. Andie MacDowell isn't asked to do much more than be sweet and beautiful-and that's not too hard for her.
The DVD added so much to my appreciation of the movie. The director Harold Ramis has a most insightful track over the film. I was very interested to learn that the movie had Zen overtones (one man lives 10,000 days) as well as modeling its structure on the five stages of grief. Whoa.
I would recommend this movie to individuals who enjoy the big, broad comedies from the 80's and 90's (e.g., Ghostbusters, Stripes). I wouldn't recommend this movie to individuals who don't like Bill Murray-as this is the quintessential Murray film.

A deserving film receives a special edition
_Groundhog Day_ is one of my very favorite comedies and perhaps one of the most clever films of all time. The movie follows Bill Murray's character (Phil Connor), an unlikeable, cynical cad who is a Pittsburgh weatherman, as he journies to Punxsutawney, PA (the film was actually shot in IL) to cover the Groundhog Day festivities. Once there, he begins to wake up every day to February 2nd: Groundhog Day.

This is one of those rare films that functions on many levels. On one plane it is simply a clever comedy; on another it is a love story; on another it is a dark humored morality tale; on still yet another, nothing less than an allegorical description of human existence.

The original script is loosely modeled on Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's famous psychological study _The Five Stages of Death and Dying_. The "5 stages" roughly correlate to the pathos Murray's character arouses. Through denial and isolation, anger, depression, bargaining, and acceptance, Connor becomes a physical Everyman trapped in a paranoid, Kafkaesque metaphysical fantasy world, where every day is the same as yesterday. Murray, in one of his finest performances, plays Connor perfectly, bringing to full fruition that deadly yet lush area of comedy first pioneered by Chaplin's Little Tramp-- the gray area where the comedy almost tilts over into anguish and horror. In Murray's capable hands, the movie goes from somber and sardonic to histrionic and hysterical without contradiction-- it helps that he has an excellent supporting cast, including the underrated Chris Elliot and the charming Andie MacDowell. MacDowell plays Rita, the new television producer Murray's character can't but admit to himself is out of his league, and all the more desirable for that.

_Groundhog Day_ explores heavy themes like the proverbial Seven Deadly Sins (lust, gluttony, vanity, pride, etc.) interestingly and intriguingly without collapsing into rigid didacticism (no wonder then that there have been a myriad of religious responses to the film, from Hasidic Jews and Zen Buddhists to fundamentalist Christians.) However the most telling and rewarding point about this is that the film's glance at these deep subjects is not only lighthearted and funny, but also shot through with flecks of truthfulness. The value of helping and being kind to others; the coming to terms with death; the importance of art, whether it be classical music, mid-19th Century French poetry, or ice sculpture; all of these motifs are presented without stiffness or dogmaticism because we, the audience, *enter into* this world along with Connor and indeed *go through* the learning process that he does. Like the groundhog, Connor needs to forecast his own weather prediction, and the challenge presented to him while stuck in his time warp (which in the original screenplay was to have gone on for thousands of years) is to cast aside the shadow of his being and embrace the possibility of what is, to end his long cold Winter and bring forth the Springtime of his life.

Like the cheerful "Pennsylvania Polka" that cycles repeatedly away, punctuating many of the film's scenes along its path toward an eerie, atmospheric dirge, the film itself upon successive viewings attains a grandeur that very few comedies ever can hope to possess. With its high rank among both Murrayites and fans of more-than-meets-the-eye humor, it will surely retain its staying power for years to come.

Besides the awesome commentary track on the DVD by director Harold Ramis (in which he demonstrates his knowledge of a scholarly psychology piece on the movie in the _Journal of Object Relations Therapy_ [!] and points out where Murray is trying his hand at Rachmaninoff's _Variations On a Theme of Paganini_ [!]), there is also a short documentary called "The Weight of Time," featuring interviews with the cast and writers (albeit no Murray, unfortunately). Trailer, wide variety of language selection and one of the best animated menus I've seen on a DVD round out this solid buy. Highly recommended, especially to anyone who may not have seen the film.

Wonderful Film With A Unique Concept
First of all, let me say that I've never been a big fan of Bill Murray. While he can be funny at times, his humor seems to be rather pretentious and unsophisticated.

I rented this movie one night on a lark. To say that I was pleasantly suprised would be an understatement. Finally, there exists a film in which Murray culls some of his comedic excesses for the purpose of making a movie that can appeal to moviegoers of all ages.

The plot employs a device similar to the one in "It's A Wonderful Life" or even "A Christmas Carol." Playing a small-city TV newscaster forever in search of a bigger and better broadcasting gig, the obnoxious, shallow, and self-absorbed Murray is sent to cover Groundhog Day in Puxatawny, Pennsylvania. Murray is then inexplicably forced to relive the day over and over again. At first, Murray lives in denial at his circumstances, but his shallowness quickly adapts to the situation as he tries to take advantage of his guilded cage. He uses the carryover of knowledge and experiences gained from his reliving of Groundhog Day to rob an armored car, seduce a woman by learning all about her and then pretending to be an old forgotten friend in a 'later' Groundhog Day, and behave increasingly like an uncouthe idiot during his repeated broadcasts of Puxatawny Phil's (the name of the groundhog) appearance. He knows that regardless of whatever offense he commits, he will emerge unscathed because the day will simply end and be repeated.

However, even someone as shallow as Murray's character begins to learn that his 'victories' are fleeting and ultimately unfulfilling. This emptiness drives him to the point of madness and he eventually tries to kill himself (several times). He actually succeeds each time, but reawakens in the same hotel bed every morning to the tune of the same Sonny and Cher song, "I've Got You, Babe," on the radio.

Finally, Murray realizes that perhaps he would be better off putting the time to better use. He learns to play the piano (going from beginner to an accomplished player in who knows how many Groundhog Days), reads books on philosophy, takes up ice sculpting, and actually tries to get to know and help the people in the small town around him without the intent of taking advantage of them.

Only then is he finally released from his prison.

Murray's transformation from scoundrel to all-around good guy is done very well, and there are some genuinely moving moments in the movie--such as when, despite his repeated best efforts, he fails to save the life of a homeless elderly man that he knows is destined to die. It is in these scenes that Murray shows he does have the ability to handle an acting role that requires him to be sincere and serious in a convincing manner.

The supporting cast is excellent, including Andie McDowell and Chris Elliot--both of whom don't know what to make of Murray's sudden conversion (which, from their perspective, occurs in only one day).

Highly recommended. Certainly Bill Murray's best movie to date (including "Caddyshack" and "Stripes").

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