Customer Reviews

Groundhog Day / Le jour de la marmorotte (Special Edition)

5 star:		(130)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

this movie never loses it's charm and effect,even after repeated
viewing.it's the story of a bitter,lonely arrogant,empty man (Bill
Murray)who find himself reliving the same day(Groundhog Day) over and
over again.each time he goes through he begins a slow transformation
until he learns what life really means.he becomes a better man for the
experience.Andie MacDowell plays the love interest and Chris Elliott
put in a good supporting performance.also has this movie is at it's
heart a life lesson movie,a morality fable,if you will.many of these
types of movies are maudlin and inspirational ad naseum.not this one.it
manages to avoid going down that route.i think this is due to the
strong writing and direction.Danny Rubin wrote the story,and he and
Harold Ramis co wrote the screen play.Ramis also directed the
film.what's also good about this film are it's light comedic touches
and even some flat out hilarious moments. 4.5/5

It is said that if we don't learn from history we are bound to repeat it. Could it be that the actors journey in this movie shows a little glimpse as to the souls journey if we assume that we have a soul? That we only really graduate once we have learned the lessons that are here on this planet and that otherwise we will just get reincarnated over and over and given another chance at learning.

Initially the character, once he realises that he is "stuck" starts abusing his power and sees how he can fulfill his hedonistic desires by manipulating events and people. As he gets bored with himself and his tricks, he discovers the creative principle, and starts on the journey of serving others and contribute to life and thus he starts learning.

So this movie had a strong effect on me and I rate it highly both because it a highly entertaining movie, which is well acted, but especially because of the deeper layer that is there to be seen.

I would recommend the book "The Secret History of the World and How to Get Out Alive" by Laura Knight-Jadczyk, as it explores in depth the idea that life is a school, where we have the possibility to learn.

It is said that if we don't learn from history we are bound to repeat it. Could it be that the actors journey in this movie shows a little glimpse as to the souls journey if we assume that we have a soul? That we only really graduate once we have learned the lessons that are here on this planet and that otherwise we will just get reincarnated over and over and given another chance at learning.

Initially the character, once he realises that he is "stuck" starts abusing his power and sees how he can fulfill his hedonistic desires by manipulating events and people. As he gets bored with himself and his tricks, he discovers the creative principle, and starts on the journey of serving others and contribute to life and thus he starts learning.

So this movie had a strong effect on me and I rate it highly both because it a highly entertaining movie, which is well acted, but especially because of the deeper layer that is there to be seen.

I would recommend the book "The Secret History of the World and How to Get Out Alive" by Laura Knight-Jadczyk, as it explores in depth the idea that life is a school, where we have the possibility to learn.

Bill Murray is superbly cast as the nasty but somehow likeable Phil Connors, who is on what he perceives to be the assignment from Hell. He has been sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover the Groundhog Day festival. As if things could not get any worse, Phil finds himself trapped in Hell as he is forced to live this day over and over and over again. Phil goes through a few stages of thinking: to use this reoccurring nightmare to chat up woman or to do whatever he wants on this day without recriminations. (He has a few stabs at suicide, managing to kill himself and the groundhog on one occasion.) His final thought, and the one that will eventually save him, is to use this opportunity to make a difference and woo his colleague Rita (Andie MacDowell). In theory, this film could have been monotonous drivel, showing you the same situations over and over again, but clever writing and excellent editing saved the viewing public from this. So we are shown a comedy with laugh-out-loud jokes and a few moments of subtle pathos.

I've probably seen this movie as many times as February 2 repeats in the movie! It's a classic and I enjoy it immensely every time I watch it. Bill Murray and Andie McDowell are great, as are the supporting actors. An original story line and very entertaining.

Bill Murray has done many funny films "The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997)" and many profound films "The Razor's Edge" (1984). This film is profoundly funny. What would you do if you had all the time in the world? This movie covers just about everything you can think of.

Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is a conceited self-serving weatherman. He gets caught in a time warp while covering the Groundhog Day events. Everyday becomes Groundhog Day. After exhausting all the fun things you can do, he has time to confront himself and reflect on what is important.

In "Joe Versus the Volcano" (1990) people relate that environment to where they work.

Groundhog Day summed this up in one statement:

Phil Connors asks, "What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?"

Ralph answers, "That about sums it up for me."

My husband and I have watched this movie every Groundhog Day since 1997 and we never get tired of seeing it. Bill Murray's portrayal of all the emotions a person would go through living the same day over, for what must be years, is nothing short of genius. When he finally gets the next day back I feel such relief for him but also wonnder what he would have done next if the day was the same. The writers throwing the incident where Phil realizes he can't fix everything was a very nice touch. Hats off to the cast and crew.

There are so many messages behind this great movie with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. He is head over heals for MacDowell from the start, but as an arrogant weatherman, he seems to just tick her off from the start as well.

Imagine waking up every morning and it is the same day over and over again? Well, Murray has this happen to him. Every time he does his day becomes one disaster after another until he finally gives in and figures out he can use each day to improve himself and his life a little at a time.

The message here is clear. We all have a life that is made up of the same day everyday, what we choose to do with that day is really up to us. Do we want to improve our lot in life or just go along with being ourselves in a boring unfulfilled endless life that is a cycle of recurring themes?

This movie shows anyone, even though it is a comedy, that each day we have a choice to make the day what it can be. Murray plays Phil Connors, on Ground Hog Day when the ground hog's name is also Phil...go figure. Connors is as arrogant as they come and he just keeps trying so hard to impress people.

He goes from egotisical and self serving to seeing himself to get the girl of his dreams, Rita. It would be nice to know how many days of Ground Hog Days he spent there. You can see him go from this to a renaissance man who really cares about people, loves life and takes each day and uses it to improve himself.

Rita, although the same person and not being influenced or affected by being in Ground Hog day, comes to really like Phil. This movie makes us laugh at ourselves and our humanity. And by the end of the movie, he shows that he can have a positive effect on everyone he comes in contact with.

So when you hear the song, "I've Got You Babe," and the announcers saying, "It's Ground Hog Day....." remember to use the day to its fullest.

G.D really is nearly perfect. I never tire of it. At the same time I think most people miss the point. (By the way, I've NOT seen the Special Edition.)

I'm facinated each time watching the totally self centered Bill Murray caught in this marvelous time paradox, living the same day over and over. He goes through differing stages: fear and confusion; euphoria, when he realizes he can do ANYTHING without consequence; despair, when he realizes that life is meaningless if one pursues selfish pleasures without goals; and finally a peaceful self actualization when he dedicates himself toward self improvement and the humanitarian goals his situation gives him the opportunity to pursue.

It gives one pause to consider what each of US would do in a similar circumstance.

Oh, it's really funny, too.

In 1993 , director Harold Ramis genius of dark comedies like ''Analyze This'' casted Bill Murray as Phil Connors in this dark but mostly enjoyable movie named GroundHog Day.

Bill Murray plays Phil Connors a weatherman, who covers everything from weather to Ground Day. Phil isn't happy with his life, in fact he realizes that he is repeating the same routine over and over again. From work in the morning,to
talking to the annoying Ned Ryanser( Stephen Tobolowsky), while listening to Sonny and Cher in the morning to covering the stupid GroundHog Day, Phil is repeating the same day over and over again. Of course the irony here as done by the plot, is that he is the only that knows it. It's like an episode the ''Twilight Zone'' (which I reviewed too on other sites). Eventually Phil has a mental breakdown in which he plans to do whatever he wants. He comes completely unglued when realizing how wasted his life had become, and thus wants to change it.

I use the term breakdown because well Phil isn't exactly a nice guy, he's arrogant and obnoxious. We hardly sympathize with this guy, much less that he is miserable.
However, the point the movie makes is the guy realizes he has been wasting his life away and wants to change it, although Phil's change doesn't go ahead smoothly.

He drives reckless around the train tracks, gets arrested, steals a bagfull of money from a couple of dumb cops, charms his way into sleeping with a beautiful young girl and yet finds out that he still isn't happy. Until he puts the moves on Rita (Andy McDowell), his producer. McDowell is the few actresses that I know that has limited acting potential but her beautiful presence can convey some emotions making her sympathetic.

However, in order to get close to Rita, Phil has to get info on her likes and dislikes from her friends. This angle in the movie, really made me a little sick, because even we are suppose to sympathize with Phil, he hasn't really changed all that much. Rita, eventually finds out Phil's motives and slaps him in the face, and telling him to get lost. LOL No surprise there, in fact Rita's action sums up my argument that Phil hasn't really changed all that much despite his aim to not repeat the same day, he is still repeating his same behavioral patterns.

Phil though in order to impress her and to change himself, starts doing bizarre, yet unreal things that get him attention and he does start to become nicer. This is where the movie gets ridiculous, because even though this is a comedy, I found the rest of the movie to be predictable, superficial, yet enjoyable
Phil becomes a gifted ice sculpter (who knows where he learned this) as one scene, where his cutting a sculpture of an ice angel is shown. Then Phil saves a guy from choking to death, a kid from a falling tree and a host of other surprises. LOL

Yes Harold Ramis does go a bit over the top with this Phil guy, obviously a lot of the stuff he pulls of is almost impossible giving Phil's background, but Ramis is again trying to show the point (although laughingly bad) that Phil is changing. He now has a heart and will do anything to be with this nice woman and of course by Phil doing this he has filled that empty void that he had when he was repeating the same unfulling routine of covering that stupid Groundhog Day in Pennsylvania.

Ramis is actually a buddy of Murray going back to the old days of their ''SCTV'' days, and ''Ghostbusters'' days, so these two talented comedian can pull the hijinks in the film with some realism.

Still though Ramis does do a good job of making us think about the movie and Phil itself and gives us that scary thought that we perhaps might end up like Phil, a shriveled, ugly man who has been repeating the same stupid routine yet doesn't have the capacity to see that this misery is at his own doing.

LOL