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An obnoxious weatherman finds himself living the same day over and over again.
Bill Murray: Phil Connors
Andie MacDowell: Rita
This along with Lost in Translation is the ultimate Bill Murray film. It has everything needed to make it a cult film with it's charm and moral lessons. It has a highly innovative story, excellent acting and something else which cannot be described but you feel it.
Directed by Harold Ramis, Danny Rubin and again Harold Ramis concoct a gorgeously sumptuous screenplay from a story written by Danny Rubin.
Bill Murray becomes a household name with Groundhog Day, the film and story is about a man who relives the same day over and over and over.
The storyline is perfect for character development and great sketches involving what to do with unlimited time. Without saying too much I can say that the main character, who is the only one who can actually remember the day before, and utilizes his special gift or if you will, this curse.
The writers originally wanted the audience to join the main character as he had already been trapped in this time loop for many years (he doesn't age, how can he when the day before never happened?) and he knows everything about everyone. This approach was thankfully abandoned because watching Bill Murray react to his predicament is nothing short of being priceless. He is initially intrigued by the concept and abuses his situation but eventually there is a change in the character for the best. What changes I will leave to future viewers to find out for themselves. The film graces a few philosophical questions but nothing more than that because the objective of the film is entertainment and it succeeds brilliantly in its goals.
The cast is wonderfully assembled. Bill Murray, one of our time's greatest actors both comedy wise and dramatically, does an excellent job. His comic timing is flawless and his underplayed and sometimes quite dark humour works brilliantly on screen. Also he portrays the changes in his character with great skill. Pure movie magic. Andie MacDowell, whom in my opinion is a very underrated actress, does a fine performance as well. She is instantly likeable and the audience relates to her character immediately because of this. Her reactions are highly believable and this of course adds to the overall credibility of the film. Chris Elliot gracefully under-acts his part which is a good thing because the emphasis is on Murray's character but he serves his purpose to great effect. Stephen Tobolowsky steals every scene he is in and contrary to Chris Elliot he overacts every scene he is in but he stays within the confines of believable so his character too works magnificently and creates a lot of laughs. Other than the actors mentioned the supporting cast is excellent. What few scenes Brian Doyle-Murray, Bill Murray's brother, is in he makes his own.
Overall the film's cinematography and sets work pretty well but as the emphasis is on the characters its not really worth mentioning. The music is another thing which is very good. The score by George Fenton is excellent and fresh. It doesn't sound like something we've heard before and therefore adds to the originality of the film which is already substantial.
The whole concept of the film might sound a bit pretentious but it doesn't feel that way. In fact it feels very down to earth because of the characters' believable reactions and seemingly genuine emotions.
Though this film has a serious message, it is still quintessentially a comedy. But it's a comedy that uses psychological exploration regarding a fascinating character to make its point. After the laughter has worn down, Groundhog Day turns out to be one of the richest and deepest films I've ever seen.
10/10
