Groundhog
Day (1993)
Sony
Cast:
Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott..
Rating:
PG-13.
Run
time: 101 mins
Genre:
Comedy.
Verdict:
Beautiful
(see rating
system)
One
of the highpoints of Bill Murray's career, Groundhog Day still
tickles all the right funnybones in this 15th anniversary
edition.
15
years already? Sheesh, time marches on so quickly. If only
we could all enjoy the experience of living one day over and
over - without aging, of course - the premise of this funny
flick.
Murray
plays jaded TV weatherman Phil Connors, who wisecracks his
way through the daily forecasts at a Pittsburgh TV station,
but is an offscreen sourpuss to his colleagues.
For
the umpteenth time one February 2, Connors is dispatched to
cover Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania - an event
and town he hates. It's even more trying with a happy and
cheerful producer (Andie MacDowell) and sarcastic cameraman
(Chris Elliott) along for the ride.
Connors
grinds his teeth and covers the event, his disdain clearly
showing. But when the trio tries to head back to the city,
they run into the blizzard Connors had forecast wouldn't happen.
Bad
enough to be stuck in Punxsutawney for another night, but
when Connors wakes next morning to the sounds of Sonny and
Cher warbling I Got You Babe on his bedside radio alarm clock,
he makes a horrifying discovery: it's Groundhog Day again
. . . and again . . . and again . . .
This
could easily have been a one-trick pony of a movie, but screenwriters
Danny Rubin and Harold Ranmis (who also directs) keep it fresh
as Connors ponders what to do with a day that keeps repeating
itself. There are many laugh-out-loud situations as Connors
encounters the same characters day after day, tries his hand
at seduction and decides to learn the piano. His Clint Eastwood
impression is hilarious.
This
all-new edition features several featurettes on the making
of the movie, with cast interviews plus some deleted scenes.
A featurette on groundhogs is especially interesting - they're
almost as cute as Bill Murray!
