MORAL OF THE MOVIE

It’s nice to be important, it’s more important to be nice. Groundhog Day shows us the importance of being kind and generous. More broadly, the movie emphasizes how one’s own behavior has an effect on those around us, which then influences how they behave.

WHO I THINK WOULD MOST ENJOY THIS MOVIE

This is a movie for people (hopeless romantics) that are looking to have a laugh without having to think too much. Fans of Bill Murray will have a good time with this one, but so will anyone else that are generally fans of romantic-comedies.

ADDITIONAL NOTES/COMMENTARY

Groundhog Day is such a classic that most people know about it nowadays without having seen it or even knowing who it stars. Most people know it for its intriguing premise of a “glass half empty”-type of guy reliving the same day over and over again. However, what stood out the most to me was how thoughtful it was in providing an exaggerated yet realistic portrayal of what a guy stuck in the same day would actually do. From the initial perks that Phil Connors (Bill Murray) takes advantage of to the self-realization in the end, Groundhog Day shows us just about everything you would expect in a romantic/comedic time-loop movie and does so in a very enjoyable manner. Andie Macdowell and Bill Murray worked very well on screen as well and their chemistry served as the heart of the movie. Without it, the movie would have just come across as bland. Another aspect of the movie that stood out to me was the serious yet comical approach that it took to get its message across without being too tongue-in-cheek, which makes it all the better for it. Lastly, this movie also marked an end for the collaboration between Bill Murray and Dir. Harold Ramis that produced other comedy classics such as Caddyshack (1980) and Ghostbusters (1984) as they clashed on what Groundhog Day should have emphasized: Murray wanted to focus on the philosophical elements whereas Ramis leaned more on the comedic elements of the premise. Nevertheless, the result is a film that marks an important part of both their legacies and can be commended for both it comedic elements and philosophical discussion that can come from it. I’m glad I stumbled upon it on Netflix and would definitely watch it for a good time again and again and again and again…