Rewind: 1993 – Groundhog Day, the Comedy of Trial and Errors

What would you do if you were stuck in one place and everything you did was exactly the same, and nothing you did really mattered?

I know, I know, starting my reviews with such heavy existential questions might not be the best idea, but well, this line from Groundhog Day does a good job of summing up its premise. The idea is this, a man is stuck in an endless time loop, due to mysterious reasons he has to relive the same day over and over again. Essentially, Phil goes through 100 different iterations of the exact same day,  its like each night he sleeps, a reset button is hit, for the rest of the world around him. Even death can’t seem to break the loop. Does he finally manage to escape and if he does, how so?

If you haven’t seen Groundhog Day and still think this theme or idea sounds familiar, its because chances are you have either heard about it in some way or watched a TV show episode or a movie based on a similar premise. While Groundhog Day might not be the origin of this idea, it certainly did popularize it.

Ever since its release in 1993, Groundhog Day has inspired several pieces of media, including movies like Happy Death Day, Edge of Tomorrow, Naked, Before I Go To Sleep, and the list goes on. TV shows like X-Files and Supernatural have done episodes based on this concept, and most recently, the Netflix original series, Russian Doll has taken this idea and elevated it to another level of existential storytelling.(if you haven’t seen it, please do.)

My point here is that this is an idea with a lot of potential and the screenplay by Danny Rubins and Harold Ramis does a brilliant job of exploring its potential, not only as a romantic and a comedy film, but a rather interesting insight into concepts such as morality, immortality, and even spiritual transcendence.

Phil Connor (Bill Murray) starts off as an extremely unlikable character, he is arrogant, brash and extremely self centered, even Murray’s inherent charm as an actor doesn’t do much to redeem this character, but it does make him a bit more tolerable. Phil is a weatherman, who visits Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, for covering the annual Groundhog Day festivities, with his producer Rita Hanson (Andie MacDowell) and camerman Larry (Chris Elliot). It is during this one day trip, that he gets stuck in a time loop. Now, he has to find his way out, or be stuck in the same place for the rest of his life, and apparently, he can’t even die (not for the lack of trying).

When Phil realizes what’s happening, he goes through several phases, first their is a confusion, he doesn’t understand what’s happening and he doesn’t know how to stop it. This is followed by a phase of absolute recklessness, well if it doesn’t matter what you do, why not do whatever you want?, then comes the how can I use the endless time loop to try and get girls, this is followed by a general resignment towards his circumstance, ultimately, its a long road towards acceptance and genuine self improvement. (Side Note: In this process of growth and improvement, he also learns to play the piano and ice-sculpt, its kinda cute.)

On a metaphorical level, Phil’s journey is one of enlightenment, it is only after realizing the error of his ways that he can actually change, and while not all of us get a chance to rectify all of our mistakes, at least not in the way Phil does, thinking of each day as a fresh start, generally helps in moving forward. Groundhog Day is a layered movie, open to several thematic and philosophical interpretations and that is what makes it such a culturally significant piece of cinema.

The love story between Rita and Phil, adorable as it is, forms the weakest aspect of the film for me. Rita has the potential to be an interesting character in her own right, she is smart, she is opinionated and powerful, but the story reduces her to a cliche. She seems less like a real woman, more like a man’s idea of a perfect woman. In a moment when she is having a drink with Phil, she says, “I always toast to world peace”.

Now I mean I am not saying people don’t toast to world peace, but this is just one of the many moments when I found myself irritated by how generic she was, as a character. Ultimately, the romantic arc, does lend for some adorable moments, and some strong moments of self reflection for Phil, so it works, despite its flaws.

The comedy here relies on two things, one is Bill Murray’s impeccable comic timing, and second is the large number of people Phil meets throughout the town. The girl he briefly courts, the innkeeper at the bed and breakfast he stays at, the waitress at the local diner, and that’s just the beginning of a long list of fascinating characters.

However, the funniest scenes in the film involve Phil’s old classmate Ned Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky), who is also an insurance agent. Each time he showed up on screen, I was excited by the anticipation of how Phil would react, its an enjoyable running gag. These characters, apart from adding to the comic fodder of the film, also make this world feel real and lived in, instead of feeling aloof and distant, and are crucial to how the story deals with the ideas of happiness and fulfillment.

Director Harold Ramis has a difficult task at his hands, with so many ideas to explore, so many phases which Phil goes through as a character, the set up is mostly the same, so the novelty has to be found in the treatment. A script like this runs a high risk of tonal inconsistencies and at the hands of an unskilled director, Groundhog Day would be a sloppy mess. Luckily, that doesn’t happen, its not just swiftly but rather perfectly paced, and the energy never drops.

Even when handling some of the darker parts of the film, their is comedy to be found. Most importantly, despite the repetitive use of music and sets, the movie never bores the audience, while Phil is exhausted owing to him reliving the same day for 12,395 days (as estimated by WhatCulture), the audience emerges relatively unscathed.

Groundhog Day is the kind of film which can tell you a different story each time you watch it, and from my limited personal re-viewings, the interpretations I found have been generally very good. Its funny, charming, amicable, and an example of intelligent film making. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it perfect, but it does come close.