Groundhog Day: Movie Review

You would think that a film about repeating the same day over and over again would get stale quickly. But "Groundhog Day" does the complete opposite. It's a film that has everything from its hilarious comedy, sweet romances and even deep thoughts about existence. It's the complete package and what's more astounding is that the film hasn't aged a bit through the decades - maybe it's even better now.

Phil (Bill Murray) is a TV weatherman working for a local television station in Pittsburgh. On camera, Phil is witty, charming, and friendly. But once the camera stops rolling, he becomes a self-centered, bitter, and treats his co-workers in badly. Phil laments that he needs to go to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to cover their annual February 2nd Groundhog Day. He hates the tradition and despises his assignment so much that he intends to leave as soon as possible. But a snowstorm hits and Phil is instantly stranded at Punxsutawney. Worse, when he wakes up the next morning, it seems as though its February 2nd again with events from the previous day happening once again. Phil realizes that he is stuck on a time loop and he is forced to relive Groundhog Day endlessly for god knows until when.

"Groundhog Day" had to work on a single gag and a single premise throughout its run time. It's amazing that it never gets old - not one bit. In fact, it's the various intricacies of how our main character Phil tries to reinvent the wheel of the time loop to his advantage that truly captured our attention. It's both dumb and intelligent at the same time that also ensures that the film is never out of new gags to push to the audience. The centerpiece to all of this is Bill Murray. We wouldn't say it's his performance of a lifetime but the versatility he showed in "Groundhog Day" makes the film a lot more fun in our opinion. While the film is a romance comedy at its core, we also appreciated how the film tackles deeper philosophical and theological thoughts on the time loop. The film throws various aspects that should make anyone think and ponder - definitely not one you expect from a romcom flick. While the film never truly explains why our main character Phil goes in and eventually goes out of the time loop, you wouldn't even care because that's probably the last thing you'll be remembering about "Groundhog Day".

Rating: 5 reels





Why you should watch it:
- Bill Murray is the man with his versatile acting
- The film never gets old with various ideas on the concept of time loop

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- The film never explains why Phil finds himself in a time loop and why he gets out eventually