Why Groundhog Day is my Favourite Movie
I don't often watch movies more than once. For some reason Groundhog Day is one of the very few movies I can watch multiple times and enjoy it each time. How fitting for a movie that's about being stuck in a loop of experiencing the same day over and over again. So why do I like this movie so much, I ask myself.
There's a fantasy element. No doubt about it. I like the fact that no explanation is given to why the Bill Murray character, Phil Connors, is forced to relive the same day over and over. I've read the original script which contained a sort of mumbo jumbo curse-from-a-woman-scorned explanation, and I'm so glad this didn't make it into the movie. I love the fact that ultimately there is no reason given, and that his whole situation becomes a way that Phil can go through almost every emotion a person can experience in a single coherent narrative arc.
The structure of Groundhog Day is as close to perfect as it gets. I wish I'd written it. Rarely does a character in a movie develop in such a complex, believable and satisfying way. It's a classic "what if?" scenario, the sort that makes speculative fiction so fascinating, and it explores every nuance of the "if" factor. Phil Connors has to go through from cynical manipulation to the ultimate redemption, covering the profound questions about love and what it is to live a good life.
And it's funny.
And it's touching.
It's a hell of a movie.
There's a fantasy element. No doubt about it. I like the fact that no explanation is given to why the Bill Murray character, Phil Connors, is forced to relive the same day over and over. I've read the original script which contained a sort of mumbo jumbo curse-from-a-woman-scorned explanation, and I'm so glad this didn't make it into the movie. I love the fact that ultimately there is no reason given, and that his whole situation becomes a way that Phil can go through almost every emotion a person can experience in a single coherent narrative arc.
The structure of Groundhog Day is as close to perfect as it gets. I wish I'd written it. Rarely does a character in a movie develop in such a complex, believable and satisfying way. It's a classic "what if?" scenario, the sort that makes speculative fiction so fascinating, and it explores every nuance of the "if" factor. Phil Connors has to go through from cynical manipulation to the ultimate redemption, covering the profound questions about love and what it is to live a good life.
And it's funny.
And it's touching.
It's a hell of a movie.