TV weatherman Phil Connors is cynical, to say the least, and has to go yet again to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on February 2nd to see if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow isn't his idea of fun. He is grumpy with the station's new producer Rita and is downright nasty with cameraman Larry. He doesn't take the shadow business all that seriously however, the next morning, he awakens to find he is reliving the same day. Initially disbelieving and fighting what is happening to him, Phil eventually accepts that he will relive the same day, over and over again. As Phil relives that same Groundhog Day, over and over, he goes through numerous highs and lows. As the days continue to repeat he uses the opportunity to acquire new skills like piano playing and soon becomes the most admired man in Punxsutawney. Groundhog Day is one of those movies I will never stop rewatching and one I always put on every February 2nd. It has such a unique charm that constantly keeps enticing me back. This film manages to evoke countless emotions through its heartfelt story and fantastic acting from all roles involved, most especially from Bill Murray. Stuck in the endless loop of the same day, Phil Connors goes through so much character development and experiences a renewal in his life much like his other film Scrooged (1988) where he plays a self-centred, unfeeling man who has a grand redemption. This movie juggles with its use of humourous and emotionally impactful scenes. Phil is extremely funny with some great witty comedy that will have you smirking at every little joke and line, but he can also be abrupt, mean and self-absorbed, which doesn't sit too well with his peers. Those characteristics and ego make him super unlikable and I'm sure many first-time viewers will dislike him for it, especially the antics he gets up to on his realisation of having no consequences to his actions in a loop. Everything about him from all his bad traits is dissolved and changed throughout the film and we grow to care for him more and more, especially with those truly heartbreaking moments. Scenes of him trying to escape the loop through multiple suicides and deaths were so tragic as we see the unfortunate consequences of Phil's tiredness of the endless repeats. However, even after all of that, he still keeps waking up in his bed all over again. Through these hardships we see him grow into a wonderful character which is best seen by his helping the old homeless man. We see him countless times being ignored and passed by Phil, but as he changed, he gave him money and food. His care for him peaks when he realises he has been dying every single day. That scene will always get me choked up but seeing how it affects him, striving him to do better makes for such an impactful story. I can only imagine how difficult getting every scene to feel and look like the same day over and all those who worked on this film did such an incredible job, making it work flawlessly. We also never do find out how long Phil was trapped in that same day and many people have tried to figure it out but we can never be too sure. Another highlight of this movie has to be the relationship Rita and Phil form over time. Although he became a much greater person in the end, he most especially changed towards her. From treating her so harshly and coldly, he came to care deeply for her, even love her. Towards the end of the film, their scenes together are simply perfect and romance at its finest. My favourite part of this film has to be when Phil uses his time for greater purposes like helping all the townsfolk with their issues and becoming a respected man by all. Saving people in danger and doing little odd jobs for people, he turns into a lovely person. Overall, this film will forever be timeless, quite literally in a way that it can be watched again and again. With so many loveable characters, phenomenal storytelling and great life lessons to learn from, this film is such a delight to see and should be viewed every Groundhog Day.
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