Review of Groundhog Day (1993) by Eayhn P — 01 Dec 2016

Holiday based movies are nothing new. There's a seemingly endless supply of Christmas and Halloween movies. Thanksgiving has a select few quality entries. Valentine's Day has all kinds of romance movies. There's plenty of war movies fitting for Veteran's Day, even. But who would have thought that one of the most delightful holiday based movies would be based around one of the most seemingly insignificant holidays of the year: Groundhog Day?

Harold Ramis has crafted a surprisingly beautiful and touching film here, a poignant portrait of existentialism and life itself that hits pretty hard for a movie that seems to be first and foremost a comedy. The comedy genius himself, Bill Murray, delivers what he does best - dry goofball humor - but also brings plenty of dramatic, and even rather dark, moments that really prove the duality he is capable of bringing. Murray really sells you on his character, starting out as a cynical and arrogant weather reporter who learns more about himself as he lives the same day over and over. It's ultimately a story of a man discovering his own humanity, and Ramis tells it with enough heart and charm that makes it an endlessly rewatchable classic. How fitting.