Review of Groundhog Day (1993) by Jeffrey S — 13 Jul 2016

Groundhog Day is an exploration of an intriguing idea. It isn't an aesthetic experiment or a thrilling adventure. It actually looks fairly average and hum drum. Bill is stuck in small, dinky town on an overcast day and the cast is fairly average looking.

The brilliance of the film is rooted in its original story, that the narcissistic weatherman Phil Connors is stuck living the same day over and over again with no foreseeable end. It is fascinating to watch as Phil slowly discovers his predicament, indulges in debauchery, descends into desperation and in the end, learns to be a better man and care about other people.

It is even cooler that it's Bill Murray. This is a fantastic display of his dramatic range and deadpan comedic talent. It's a sweet story, but it isn't wholesome. There's drinking, sex, swearing, off color comments and some awkward exchanges.

Groundhog isn't perfect, but it also succeeds on the fact that it was consistently engaging and the film was edited brilliantly. The "same-day" concept was understood, but not tedious. It is a modest, but entirely interesting exploration of human nature and humor.