Reviewed by: H. Beau Baez, III
CONTRIBUTOR
“Groundhog Day” is a light-hearted comedy that is enjoyable and well done. I have seen it several times and have liked it each time.
“Groundhog Day” stars Bill Muray as an egotistical TV weather man who has been sent to Punxsutawney, PA to cover Groundhog Day (February 2nd). He is rude to everyone he meets and has no human charity whatsoever.
After the “first Groundhog Day” Bill Murray goes to sleep and awakens to find that it is the same Groundhog Day all over again. In fact, each time that he goes to sleep, he awakens in Punxsutawney on Groundhog Day, all over again!
At first, Murray takes advantage of his situation by furthering his self-centered ways. He uses his knowledge of the day’s events (he never forgets what has happened on the previous Groundhog Days) to learn where to steal money, how to use people, and generally how to have a good time. However, as the ceaslessly replicating Groundhog Days continue, he realizes the emptiness of his self-centered ways and decides that life is futile—he tries to kill himself, only to find that he always wakes up again, on the same Groundhog Day!
Recognizing the Biblical precept that a self-centered life is meaningless, he learns to start helping and appreciating others. He helps those in trouble and learns to use his time to develop useful skills (he learns how to play the piano). Throughout the movie he is attracted to the character played by Andie MacDowell, but can never seem to win her affection (even though he has dozens of dates with her, improving the dates each Groundhog Day). Eventually, once Bill Murray becomes a “real person” (a person with concern for others) his dreamgirl falls for the new, reformed Bill Murray.
The movie does not have any explicit sexual scenes, but it does include sexual innuendo in that it shows Bill Murray seducing (or trying to seduce) women prior to his personal reformation. As to profanity, some. As to violence, Bill Murray “kills” himself several times, but any graphic details are omitted (after all, this is a romantic comedy).
“Groundhog Day” is a nice choice for couples to watch as a Friday “date-night” video, though I have heard that men tend to enjoy it more that women.