Groundhog Day 1993 4 Sweet Pickles
What if the day you’re currently in, no matter how it goes down, became your eternity? Endlessly trapped in the same cycle of events, destined to meet the same people and have the same conversations, only to wake up again to face it all again. What a terrible thought, right? That, my friends, is the focus of our movie today.
Weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is a not so sunny reporter who manages to make everyone around him miserable. He’s high maintenance and kind of terrible. To make matters worse, Groundhog Day has arrived and Phil gets the enormous thrill of covering this beloved and eccentric event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Just kidding, he hates it. Traveling with cameraman Larry and his beautiful new producer Rita Hanson (Andie MacDowell), he survives the festivities and Phil the groundhog’s announcement of six more weeks of winter and he is ready to get home. A sudden blizzard blows in, stranding them in the town. Displeased, Phil goes to bed early in hopes of a better day tomorrow. Instead, he wakes up to the same day again on repeat and realizes that he’s stuck in a time loop. What’s a man to do?
The rest of the film explores the concept on both the crazy and serious side of things. Phil experiences it all. He gets in a car chase with the police while driving down the railroad track. He eats to the point of gluttony. He studies the habits of women in order to seduce them. He falls in love with Rita, who is so far out of his league, and tries to win her over. When he is unsuccessful, things take a darker turn and he attempts to end his life. Upon reflection, he decides to take what he’s learned from this entire situation and better himself. He learns to play the piano, create ice sculptures, speak French, and even attempts to save a dying homeless man. His transformation through this loop becomes noticeable, and Rita is amazed by his kind, sweet, and selfless nature. Phil wins Rita’s heart, and in true and fitting fashion his love of her and her love of him sets him free. Emerging a free man from the time loop, he and Rita plan their future together, settling in Punxsutawny, a place that has come to mean so much to them.
