A well-loved 1993 film that massively popularized the time loop trope. With Bill Murray at his deadpan best and a much lauded script, the film is considered a modern classic.Phil Connors (Murray), an arrogant and smarmy weatherman for a local TV news station in Pittsburgh, his new producer Rita (Andie MacDowell), and cameraman Larry (Chris Elliott) go to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to film the annual Groundhog Day festival. Phil loathes the annual celebration and is surly throughout the proceedings, wanting nothing more than to pack up and go home. That proves impossible when a sudden blizzard arrives and closes the roads, forcing Phil and the crew to stay the night.He wakes up the next morning to find it's still Groundhog Day. Everyone goes on exactly as they did the previous day, with only him aware of it. Surprised, he goes through the motions, still gets stuck in Punxsutawney, and wakes up the next morning to find it's still Groundhog Day, again. And again. And again, with no tomorrow in sight …The movie proceeds to follow Phil as he tries to both adjust to and escape from his bizarre dilemma, with the comedy and drama drawn from the various ways he reacts to it. From irresponsible, self-centered hedonism (after all, if tomorrow never comes, there are no consequences) to suicidaldespair (if tomorrow never comes, there's no point to going on) to an insane amount of time-eating hobbies (if tomorrow never comes, you might as well try everything), no matter what he does Phil's efforts seem doomed to leave him forever trapped in his own personal Groundhog Day—but with help from the kindhearted Rita and his own unexpected potential for self-growth and redemption, the possibility arises that tomorrow will come for Phil after all.
Groundhog Day provides examples of:
And I Must Scream: Being stuck reliving the same day over and over for years would not be fun for anyone.
Apocalypse Anarchy: While it doesn't happen for the world, Phil discusses with a couple of guys what they would do if there was no tomorrow. Their enthusiastic answer is that they could do whatever they wanted, now with no consequences. Inspired by this, Phil decides he's going to live his Groundhog Day Loop in the most outlandish way possible.
Armor-Piercing Slap: There's an entire montage of these, while Phil tries to refine his technique on Rita, only to get shot down every time.
Artistic License - Geography: In real life, the sun doesn't come up until around 7:00 A.M. in Western Pennsylvania during February. In the film, it's already broad daylight by 6:00 A.M. This is an understandable trope to invoke because it saves the crew from having to repeatedly catch and film through twilight, which is a tall order because it's so short and moves around in time due to cloudy conditions.
Artistic License - Music: At the end of the film, shots of the swing band show an upright plucked bass, but the soundtrack has an electric bass.
Ascended Extra: A rare in-universe example. Many of the characters seen in the Punxsutawney crowd scene and the diner become major characters in Phil's life as he's forced to become intimately familiar with the town, especially Nancy, Gus, Ralph and even his piano teacher.
Big Eater: Phil's discovered the greatest diet plan ever
And he doesn't think twice about smoking in the diner, either. Of course, Rita worries about his potential to contract "cholesterol, lung cancer, love handles," but he can afford to disregard her advice.
Blah Blah Blah: Phil invokes this during one of his cycles. "Once again the eyes of the nation have turned here to this … (silly voice) tiny village in Western Pennsylvania, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah …"
Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: Phil tries in vain to call Pittsburgh for assistance when he gets stuck in the blizzard: "Don't you have some kind of a line that you keep open for emergencies, or celebrities? I'm both! I'm a celebrity in an emergency!"
If you think about it, the time loop itself is a temporal version of this.
Bungled Suicide: Several of these, all committed by Phil after he decides there's Nothing Left To Do But Die. Even though each one does result in his death, they all count as bungled by virtue of the fact that they all fail to kill him for good and Phil always wakes up at 6 AM of Groundhog Day all over again the morning afterwards.
Butt Monkey: Both Larry and Phil, with each other.
California Doubling: Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is represented by Woodstock, Illinois. The hotel across from the square where Phil jumps to his death from the tower? That would be the Woodstock Opera House.
Character Development: Phil goes from a grade-A Jerkass to a genuine Nice Guy over the course of the movie's running time—and it's believable. Of course, "running time" definitely doesn't equal "real time" in this case.
Chekhov's Gag: To the question "Will you be checking out today, Mr. Connors?"
Phil (Day one): Chance of departure today: one hundred percent.
Phil (Day two): Chance of departure today … Eighty percent … seventy-five to eighty?
Phil (Day ????): Phyllis, will you keep my room? I'm gonna stay another day.
Clock King: Phil initially uses this power for evil (i.e. stealing money from an armored car). He later uses it for more benevolent purposes, becoming a sort of guardian angel to everybody.
Closed Circle: The very premise is an extreme temporal-based example of this trope, but the blizzard blocking the road to Pittsburgh (and hence forcing Phil to stay in Punxsutawney) acts as a more conventional spatial one also.
Comedic Sociopathy: Phil eventually realizes that the time loop he's in allows him to live without consequences or guilt. He uses his situation to steal money from an armored car and weasel his way into sex with an attractive local woman. He tries to use it to weasel his way into sex with Rita, but he fails, and this spurs his Character Development.
See Darker and Edgier below, however, as the worst Phil ever does is deck Ned.
CPR Clean Pretty Reliable: Averted: Phil attempts CPR in an alley as a last-ditch effort to save the homeless old man. No matter what he does, though (including this), the man still dies. Every time. It looks like exhausting and distressing work.
Creator Cameo: Harold Ramis plays a doctor. The commentary reveals that this wasn't intentional. The extra they hired never showed, and somebody had to step into the big white coat. He makes a very good doctor, since most people associate him with Dr. Egon Spengler.
Darker and Edgier: Averted. According to Word Of God, they avoided having Phil go down the really dark path, in which he could be utterly cruel to people and even kill them without any consequences.
Despair Event Horizon: Phil is eventually driven to the depths of suicidal despair by the endless repetition of February 2. Then, he's driven into even further depths of suicidal despair by the fact that suicide doesn't work. Interestingly, it's when he's at his lowest that he eventually hits on simply telling Rita the truth of what's happening to him…and things begin to improve from that point on.
Double Standard: Happens in the same scene as the Convenient Slow Dance entry. After the couple gets the tickets from Phil, the woman kisses him on the lips. The man then kisses Rita on the cheek, provoking an angry glare from the woman.
Enforced Method Acting: See Mistaken for Gay below, and then realize that that scene was improvised by Bill Murray; Ned's reaction was largely genuine. Stephen Tobolowsky (who plays Ned) is a great character actor, and did plenty of improvisation in the film, too.
As is usual for Bill Murray, when Rita slaps him, she really does hit him hard. Not surprising, since all of the abuse Murray suffered from Carol Kane in Scrooged were real as well.
Every Car Is a Pinto: Parodied. When Phil's stolen truck (with him in it) falls off a cliff, Larry suggests unconvincingly that he could still be alive. The truck then immediately explodes.
Flipping the Bird: Phil has an unusual way of doing a countdown with fingers…
Foil: Ned Ryerson, provoking the same reactions from Phil that Phil causes in others.
Foreign Remake: Italian director Giulio Manfredonia remade the film in 2004 using Italian and Spanish actors. The plot is extremely similar (the two major differences being that it happens in the Canary islands and that the protagonist has to film storks) and has many scenes that follow the original exactly, but there are some notable differences, some of which make the Italian version less politically correct.
Foreshadowing: A very clever one. Before Phil even enters the time loop, he complains about having to do the Groundhog Day Festival every year. During the first ceremony, Phil describes everything that's going to happen before it does.
They do the same old shtick every year. Guy comes out with a big stick and raps on the door. They pull the little rat out. They talk to him. The rat talks back. And then they tell us what's going to happen.
Sound familiar? He begins doing that later in the film, especially with the armored car heist.
Gluttonous Pig: One of Phil's stages. Done gloriously by Bill Murray.
The Hedonist: Phil becomes this in some of the early cycles. When he realizes that no tomorrow means no consequence, he takes the opportunity to indulge in unhealthy food, wild behavior, and bedding various women through save-scumming.
Phil: Once again the eyes of the nation have turned here to this … (silly voice) tiny village in Western Pennsylvania, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah… (serious) There is no way … that this winter … is ever going to end, as long as this groundhog keeps seeing his shadow. I don't see any other way out. He's gotta be stopped. (beat) And I have to stop him.
High Concept: Man is forced to relive one day over and over. A simple concept that allows for so many scenarios.
Ignored Confession: During the loop where Phil demonstrates his intimate knowledge of Punxsutawney's residents to Rita and she stays in his room with him, he confesses his love for her and kisses her on the cheek, but she doesn't hear any of it due to drifting off towards sleep. His awakening the next day marks his decision to use the loop to better himself.
Cop: Now you can either go back to Punxsutawney, or you can go ahead and freeze to death. It's your choice. So what's it gonna be? (beat) Phil: I'm thinking…
In Medias Res: The original script had Phil already in the time loop, without the audience being told he's in one til it becomes odd that Phil knows exactly what's going to happen.
Inherently Funny Word: Gobbler's Knob, site of the groundhog ceremony. It's a real place in Punxsutawney, PA, too. It just doesn't look like it does in the movie because it wasn't filmed in the real Punxsutawney. Punxsutawney…heck, that's a funny word, too!
Rita:(on the perfect man) He'll change poopy diapers.
Phil: Does he have to use the word "poopy"?
Instant Expert: Not to the audience, since Phil puts plenty of hours in, but he certainly appears this way to other characters.
It Will Never Catch On: Meta example. In his 1993 review of Groundhog Day, Washington Post film critic Desson Howe recommended the movie but tempered his praise by stating that it would "never be designated a national film treasure by the Library of Congress"; in 2006 the movie was designated a national film treasure by the Library of Congress.
Jeopardy! Intelligence Test: Played with. After a few days, the other guests at the B&B start to think Phil's a genius because he answers every question on that day's edition of Jeopardy! correctly, but of course the only reason he knows all the answers is that he's seen this particular episode over and over again.
Jerkass: Phil most obviously, Ned somewhat less intentionally. It's also made pretty clear that Larry's a bit of a jerk as well. Phil later evolves into a pretty nice guy thanks to his Character Development.
Roger Ebert mentioned in his Great Movies retrospective of the film that it is Murray's deadpan-Jerkassery that is vital to the film, in that if a lesser actor went Large Ham with it, the film would not have worked.
Karma Houdini: At least initially; Phil exploits the time loop to do whatever he wants to whomever he wants whenever he wants and avoid the consequences, and ends up repeatedly robbing, seducing, attacking, cheating and manipulating the townsfolk seemingly without punishment. Over the course of the movie, however, it becomes pretty clear that the time loop is his punishment, not only for his actions in the movie but for his whole Jerkass nature before the day began. A deleted idea that the loop was the result of a curse from a jilted ex-lover underscores this point.
Kick the Dog: Phil towards the beginning of the movie.
Larry, too. At first, he just comes off as a guy who won't put up with Phil's crap, but the scene where he steals back his tip money is supposed to be an indicator that he's not a very nice person (if you missed it, then his later comeuppance seems to come literally out of nowhere).
Left the Background Music On: During one of Phil's latter time loops, Mozart's Piano Sonata In C plays. Turns out it's a little girl playing it for her piano teacher (before she's kicked out when Phil lays $1000 down for a single piano lesson.)
Men Don't Cry: After Rita says that the perfect man for her wouldn't be afraid of crying, Phil responds with, "This is a man we're talking about, right?" And he himselfsubverts this belief later when he finally learns how precious life is through his futile attempts to save a homeless old man from dying of old age.
1: The immense psychological strain that would be placed on Phil getting used to surprises again after living a few lifetimes worth of the same day.
Harold Ramis stated that Phil lived the equivalent of 10,000 years. So, whatever psychological state Phil was in, he passed it. Maybe he committed suicide for a few hundred years? Towards the end of the DVD commentary, Ramis suggests that, based on how well Phil can play the piano now, he was probably learning for ten years. The time frame is open to interpretation.
It takes a good five years, minimum, to learn a language to fluency. He must have spent months in the library to be able to speak French THAT well.
Actually his first French quote comes from a song, mentioned in the ending credits, "La Bourrée du Célibataire", from JacquesBrel. He says : "La fille que j'aimera Sera comme bon vin Qui se bonifiera Un peu chaque matin" note Could be translated: "The girl I'll love / Will be like a good wine / Getting better / Slightly every morning". It would not take more than a few minutes of rehearsing to say it the way Phil does, and he mispronounced "que". He also says "Baudelaire (Other Wiki), c'est fantastique".
2: Given the suggested timespan there must have been days when he did incredibly cruel things to relieve his frustration, but those days aren't shown.
Ramis and his co-writer Danny Rubin have said they deliberately avoided one of the logical extremes that Phil could have done: create despair and kill people with no consequence. They decided to avoid the sadistic possibilities of the time loop. Presumably, the fact that even at his worst Phil has enough of a moral compass to avoid murder and overt sadism is one of the things that helps him on the road to redemption.
Noodle Incident: Ned Ryerson mentions a few in short succession:
Ned: Ned … Ryerson. "Needlenose Ned"? "Ned the Head"? C'mon, buddy. Case Western High. Ned Ryerson: I did the whistling belly-button trick at the high school talent show? Bing! Ned Ryerson: got the shingles real bad senior year, almost didn't graduate? Bing, again. Ned Ryerson: I dated your sister Mary Pat a couple times until you told me not to anymore? Well?
Phil mentions he was "stabbed, shot, poisoned, frozen, hung, electrocuted and burned", but we never see any of it. Word Of God is he had to have had days of "kill and destroy" in ten or 10,000 years he spent, depending on which writer you ask, but decided it would change the tone too much and didn't show it.
Off the Rails: Phil tries this by kidnapping the groundhog, going on a car chase, and getting both of them killed.It doesn't work.
Oh Crap: The first time it loops, Phil reacts to the radio "Put your little hand in mine" by simply saying "Nice going boys, you're playing yesterday's tape", but then they talk about the Groundhog Day. When he looks out the window, he sees there's no snow from the blizzard. That's his first Oh Crap moment, but it sure ain't the last.
Larry mouths "Oh, shit!" when he sees who bought him at the bachelor auction for 25 cents.
Pet the Dog: When Phil and the crew arrive in town, he loudly complains how much he hates the hotel they're staying at, when Rita informs him she knew he didn't like it and got him a reservation at a quaint bed and breakfast. After hearing this, Phil seems surprised at the act of kindness and sincerely (if smugly) thanks her for it. It doesn't sound like much, but it's the only decent thing Phil does prior to character development.
Plot Twist: One possible ending that was considered was that Rita found herself in a time loop.
The Power of Love: Only by winning Rita's heart does Phil break the time loop.
Punch Spin Gape: Phil decking Ned in the street. Andie MacDowell jokes in a featurette about what a ham Steve Tobolowsky is.
Raised Catholic: Rita invokes this to tell Phil he isn't a god.
In fact, Bill Murray was raised Catholic—but not Andie MacDowell.
Ring Ring CRUNCH: Phil does this to his clock radio that won't stop playing "I Got You Babe" every morning at 6:00.
When he's finally out of the loop, the song starts at a totally different part with the alarm, and the radio show host says, "Oh no. Not again."
Rousseau Was Right: The film's message: There is love, kindness and decency in everyone; you just need time to bring it out.
Subverted with some Fridge Horror that some of his errands have no lasting effect beyond February 2. For example, the young fiances whom Phil sends to see Wrestlemania may still be a failed marriage, since she was having second thoughts for a reason. Phil has no idea what the long-lasting implications are because, well, while in the time loop there were none.
And subverted with the homeless man, since no matter what Phil does, he dies in the loop.
Shrug of God: How long Phil spent in the loop. Harold Ramis said it was 10,000 years, while Bill Murray mentioned they discussed it and decided on "about ten years".
Small Name, Big Ego: Phil before the loop. He invariably responded to greetings with, "Hi, thanks for watching."
Larry:(practically giggling) Did he actually call himself "the talent"?
Snow Means Love: Several times. Alternately, exactly once. Time travel.
Suspiciously Apropos Music: At first, Sonny and Cher's I Got You may seem like a random pop song on Phil's radio, but as the film goes along, it gets a sinister edge to it.
I got you, babe. I got you, babe.
During Phil's unsuccessful attempts to seduce Rita in the snow, Ray Charles' You Don't Know Me starts playing.
Switching P.O.V.: Phil is the center of the attention for almost the entire movie. There are short scenes where he is not involved, but will be or just was in the scene. The only glaring difference in point-of-view is one scene where Rita and Larry identify Phil's dead body at the morgue.
Talk About the Weather: Mrs. Lancaster tries to make small talk with Phil by talking about the weather—unfortunately, he's pissed off and he's a weather forecaster.
Mrs. Lancaster: There's talk of a blizzard. Phil Connors: We may catch a break and that blizzard's gonna blow right by us. All of this moisture coming up out of the south by midday is probably gonna push on to the east of us and at high altitudes it's gonna crystallize and probably give us what we call snow. Probably will be some accumulation but here in Punxsutawney our high is gonna get up to about 30 today, teens tonight. Chance of precipitation about 20% today, 20% tomorrow. Did you want to talk about the weather or were you just making chit chat?
Technically a Smile: During the second ceremony, Phil makes an awkward, nervous fake smile at the end of his intro.
Throw It In: After Phil smashes the radio, it keeps playing "I Got You, Babe". However, that wasn't supposed to happen. It was such a wonderful, dark moment that Ramis left it in.
Type Casting: Mostly Bill Murray, alternately played straight and inverted during the course of the movie, but a couple of the others could be described as such too.
Roger Ebert: The Murray persona has become familiar without becoming tiring: The world is too much with him, he is a little smarter than everyone else, he has a detached melancholy, he is deeply suspicious of joy, he sees sincerity as a weapon that can be used against him, and yet he conceals emotional needs.
Understatement: Phil tells Rita that "My years are not advancing as fast as you might think."
Viewers Are Morons: Phil believes most of his audience are ("People like blood sausage: people are morons").
Whammy Bid: "Three hundred and thirty-nine dollars and eighty-eight cents!"
What Could Have Been: The original script featured the explanation for the unending loop and its escape clause, but they found by leaving it out made the film more magical.
Considering the original explanation involved a curse by an ex reading a "how to do magic" book, it's less "making the film more magical" and more "removing the idiocy".
What Do You Mean, It's Not Symbolic?: After the film's debut, the director was called several times by various religious groups, all claiming he was secretly one of them.note In reality, Harold Ramis was raised Jewish, but does not currently adhere to any organized faith.
When the Clock Strikes Twelve: It's 6 AM in this case. True, Phil relives Groundhog Day proper every day, but it's from 6:00 AM February 2 to 5:59 AM February 3. Lampshaded once when Rita expects him to "turn into a pumpkin or something" at 12 midnight.
A World Half Full: Invoked by Gus, when he comments Phil is a "glass half empty" kind of guy.
0 reviews 