History YMMV / GroundhogDay

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: On the final day, when watching Phil's awesome performance, the piano teacher tells the crowd that she taught him, though thanks to the loop, from her perspective she at most only taught him a single day. Is she a pretentious woman who convinced herself she created a musician virtuoso after a single lesson? Did Phil use the knowledge he gained about Punxsutawney's inhabitants to plant in her mind fake memories about him being her student before, like how he tricked Nancy into thinking they went to the same high school? Or was it an example of RippleEffectProofMemory? Of course, Phil laying it on thick that she taught him would fit with his desire to improve everyone's day, and it's technically completely true that she taught him.

** It has also inspired a generation of philosophers and theologians. One book on pop-culture relevant to philosophy and religion with a bevy of contributors saw everyone fighting to claim this movie as representing ''their'' philosophy/religion.

* MemeticMutation: This film has forever changed people's perception of the phrase "Groundhog Day". Admit it - as soon as you hear the phrase, your immediate first thought is the idea of someone trapped in a repeating time loop, and the actual holiday a distant second.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: On the final day, when watching Phil's awesome performance, the piano teacher tells the crowd that she taught him, though thanks to the loop, from her perspective she at most only taught him a single day. Is she a pretentious woman who convinced herself she created a musician virtuoso after a single lesson? Did Phil use the knowledge he gained about Punxsutawney's inhabitants to plant in her mind fake memories about him being her student before, like how he tricked Nancy into thinking they went to the same high school? Or was it an example of RippleEffectProofMemory?

* VindicatedByHistory: It did okay at the box office and the critics of the time liked it well enough. Within 10 years it would come to be widely regarded as a classic film comedy. ''Washington Post'''s Desson Howe deemed it a good movie but opined that it would "[[ItWillNeverCatchOn never be designated a national treasure by the Library of Congress]]." [[HilariousInHindsight Guess what title was added to the LoC's National Film Registry in 2006?]] (That's not to say he didn't like it -- he said it was the funniest American comedy since ''Film/{{Tootsie}}'', which Murray also appeared in. In a later review, he chuckled at his ItWillNeverCatchOn gaffe.)
** The fact that the film as it finally turned out is truly a masterpiece helps explain Murray's and Ramis's ultimate reconciliation. They fought over their vision of the film, and ultimately both contributed to what made it great.

* ValuesDissonance:
** Rita's response to Phil attempting to seduce her is to slap him in the face, and the audience is meant to see it as justified and comedic. This would anger ''far'' more people if the film were made nowadays.
** From Rita's perspective in the "Golden" timeline, Phil has perfect knowledge of her likes and interests because of all the previous loops and uses it to seduce her, which hits a lot differently given the existence of cyberstalking and in the wake of the MeToo movement.
** Similarly, the way Phil manipulates Nancy by lying about being a former classmate also doesn't fly as well as does today, since he's building a relationship on what amounts to deception.

** From Rita's perspective in the "Golden" timeline, Phil has perfect knowledge of her likes and interests because of all the previous loops and uses it to seduce her, which hits a lot differently given the existence of cyberstalking and in the wake of the MeToo movement

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: On the final day, when watching Phil's awesome performance, the piano teacher tells the crowd that she taught him, though thanks to the loop, from her perspective she at most only taught him a single day. Is she a pretentious woman who convinced herself she created a musician virtuoso after a single lesson? Did Phil use the knowledge he gained about Punxsutawney's inhabitants to plant in her mind fake memories about him being her student before? Or was it an example of RippleEffectProofMemory?
* AlternativeJokeInterpretation: After Phil catches a boy falling from a tree, the boy doesn't thank him. Phil responds, "See you tomorrow...maybe." Some took it as meaning that Phil might not be there to save the ungrateful kid in the next time loop, while others thought he was referring to the fact that the time loop could break the next day.

* EsotericHappyEnding: In the BFI Modern Classics edition of ''Groundhog Day'', the author notes the film ends with "''Almost'' Like Being in Love" and Phil making a half-measure of ''renting'' a place in Punxsutawney inside of outright moving there, indicating he still fears commitment. In addition, Phil will be dealing with the consequences of his actions, such as the young couple who might not be a match. Also, Phil spent ''decades'' inside a loop which he eventually got to know perfectly, and suddenly living again inside a world where he doesn't know what would happen next and any decision is permanent will probably give him major mental health issues while he has to readjust to normal life (and seeking psychological help wouldn't work, as explaining his problems would get him institutionalized).

** The young bride-to-be/bride Shannon's character marries at the end of the film? Creator/HyndenWalch, who would later go on to voice Starfire in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' a decade after this film's release.

* ValuesDissonance: Rita's response to Phil attempting to seduce her is to slap him in the face, and the audience is meant to see it as justified and comedic. This would anger ''far'' more people if the film were made nowadays.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Phil wearing a cowboy costume and taking an unnamed woman dressed as a French maid (whom he insists refer to him as "Film/BroncoBilly") to see the [fictional] movie ''Heidi II''. It's very random, is never properly set up (we never see this woman in ''any'' other scenes), nor is it ever brought up again.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: On the final day, when watching Phil's awesome performance, the piano teacher tells the crowd that she taught him, though thank to the loop, from her perspective she at most only taught him a single day. Is she a pretentious woman who convinced herself she created a musician virtuoso after a single lesson? Did Phil use the knowledge he gained about Punxsutawney's inhabitants to plant in her mind fake memories about him being her student before? Or was it an example of RippleEffectProofMemory?

* AwardSnub: Many believe this is one of Creator/BillMurray's all time greatest and most heartfelt performances, causing some to say he should've made that year's Oscar lineup.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Phil wearing a cowboy costume and taking an unnamed woman dressed as a French maid (whom he insists refer to him as "Film/BroncoBilly") to see the [fictional] movie ''Heidi II''. It's very random, is never properly set up (we never see this woman in ''any'' other scenes), nor is it ever brought up again.

* EsotericHappyEnding: In the BFI Modern Classics edition of ''Groundhog Day'', the author notes the film ends with "''Almost'' Like Being in Love" and Phil making a half-measure of ''renting'' a place in Punxsutawney inside of outright moving there, indicating he still fears commitment. In addition, Phil will be dealing with the consequences of his actions, such as the young couple who might not be a match.

* PopCultureHoliday: TV stations typically celebrate the film on February 2nd along with the real Groundhog Day. To keep the reference, some stations will run a marathon of nothing the movie over and over until the day passes.

* CriticalDissonance: Averted. Critics and fans alike loved the film. As the years have passed, literary/philosophical anthologies have been published with academics competing to claim the film's message as emblematic of their field. The only group to snub the film has ultimately been the [[AwardSnub Academy]].

** The groom who receives the ''Wrestlemania'' tickets? Creator/MichaelShannon.
** The young bride-to-be/bride Creator/HyndenWalch.

* VindicatedByHistory: It did okay at the box office and the critics of the time liked it well enough. Within 10 years it would come to be widely regarded as a classic film comedy. ''Washington Post'''s Hal Hinson deemed it a good movie but opined that it would "[[ItWillNeverCatchOn never be designated a national treasure by the Library of Congress]]." [[HilariousInHindsight Guess what title was added to the LoC's National Film Registry in 2006?]] (That's not to say he didn't like it -- he said it was the funniest American comedy since ''Film/{{Tootsie}}'', which Murray also appeared in. In a later review, he chuckled at his ItWillNeverCatchOn gaffe.)

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Phil wearing a cowboy costume and taking an unnamed woman dressed as a French maid (whom he insists refer to him as "Film/BroncoBilly") to see the [fictional] movie ''Heidi II''. It's very random, is never properly set up, nor is it ever brought up again.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Phil wearing a cowboy costume and taking an unnamed woman dressed as a French maid (whom he insists refer to him as "Film/BroncoBilly") to see the [fictional] movie ''Heidi II''. It's very random, is never properly set up (we never see this woman in ''any'' other scenes), nor is it ever brought up again.