I wish it were February instead of April... (no, not really...)
Groundhog DayNo use hiding it. Groundhog Day is a master achievement in entertainment. Not only is it one of the funniest comedies (according to the AFI) and one of the most interesting fantasies (also according to the AFI), but it is one of the most intellectually stimulating films, all put on the lower shelf so that even kids can appreciate it and understand the main points.
Technical—4/5—The cinematography is nothing special. Well, at times it looks like a TV movie. But the comedic acting, especially by Bill Murry is fantastic. It’s pretty well done, overall.
Interest—5/5—If you think about it, the idea of someone reliving one average day in a small town has got to be the most dull subject anyone has thought of (apart from spending five days with a guy who is stuck under a rock). However, it is never boring. The comedy remains top notch throughout the film. It has many laugh out loud moment and a number of just silly moments. It is sometimes touching, sometimes frustrating. But you never want to turn away.
Tension—4/5—The highest tension of the film is the question of how Phil can use this life paradigm to get out of the time loop. He is just guessing and he tries many different ways and just when we think he’s got it… Sonny and Cher sing again. What an ultimate sign of failure—hearing “I’ve Got You, Babe” at six in the morning.
Emotional—4/5—I don’t have any deep emotions, but I want to start yelling at the god of the film: “What does this guy have to do? Is he just stuck? Why should he live this way? And how can you possibly keep this from getting boring?”
Characters—4/5—Most of the characters are just throwaway, part of the scenery. Really, this movie is all about the character arc of Phil Conners, weatherman, almost a one man show. But Bill Murry is one of the few that can pull this particular character off. And he does. It is almost a miracle, but he does.
Theme—5/5—The entire film is a thought experiment. You can hear the scriptwriter saying, “What would you do if you had to relive a random day of your life over and over again? And it is just an average day, an average town and average people.” Phil, although a bit more of a jerk than we all pretend to be, is us. We have to think for ourselves, “What would I do?” Thus, the film becomes a query about how we live our own average lives, in our own average towns, with our own average people.
Ethics—5/5—And in the end, the film doesn’t just answer how we should live one day of our lives, but how we should live everyday. The ultimate question of ethics is: “What is the good life?” and this film strives to answer that. The good life, the goal of Phil’s quest, is to live for others. The greatest benefit to oneself is to do good for those around you.
Personal—4/5—I am Phil. And if you were honest, you’d see Phil in yourself as well. And his quest should be our quest, it’s just that usually we are so caught up in the everyday minor dramas that we don’t have Phil’s luxury of time to meditate on what the best life would be. Perhaps I should take more time for that.
What a great film. It is so much fun and so thoughtful. The perfect sermon, the perfect entertainment. And one I love to rewatch. Yeah, it’ll make my top 50, I bet.