Off the Cuff Reviews Groundhog Day (1993)

This one's been on my radar for a while now. I really can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to it, and now that I've seen it, I'm certainly not disappointed. Groundhog Day (1993) has quickly shot up the list of my favourite movies, and I'm really not sure what I can say about it that no one else has. In that sense, it's actually a shame my movie catalogue is so small, since watching all of these classics is significantly more for my benefit than yours. Nevertheless, here we are, and I'm going to try to put my own spin on this commentary. Starring Bill Murray as Phil Connors, Andie MacDowell as Rita Hanson and Chris Elliott as Larry.

Groundhog Day (1993)

If you know me, you know I'm a sucker for a sci-fi concept told through comedy, and you'll also know that I'm familiar with the 'time loop' story. Granted, I've never seen it taken to its logical extreme, like it is here, but the point is, these kinds of stories are right up my alley. So, it should come as no shock to you when I say that not only did this concept hook me right from the moment it was introduced, but the amount of variety they manage to squeeze into under 90 minutes of screentime is actually incredibly impressive. If there's one thing I hate in fiction it's an interesting and unique concept that goes nowhere and just stagnates, and this does anything but. Yeah, they don't move the time loop anywhere beyond what it is, they don't bring any external elements into the mix, they don't even explain why it happened or how it stopped, but you don't need to for this story. It's not a sci-fi movie, it's a comedy. You just want to watch this guy go mental. And you get what you'd expect out of this: the initial confusion, rampant fun, nihilism, depression, a new outlook on life; not only is it all here, but it all feels incredibly natural for this character. I'll get back to Phil and, specifically, Bill Murray later, but for now, just know that they don't waste this concept. In fact, they push it to its limit, and it's all the funnier for it.

Scooter as Phil the Groundhog

Because, yeah, this is a really funny movie. A lot of it is down to Bill Murray's performance, but a lot of praise has to go to this writing, too. This is an intelligently written movie. It's quick, it rarely lingers in one joke for too long, it's varied, and there aren't as many 'wink-at-the-audience' references as you'd think. There are some, don't get me wrong, but I could probably count on one hand the amount of times the film goes for the 'You have no idea' punchline that you see so often when one character is experiencing something that no one else is. They get a lot of mileage out of the various residents of the town, and a lot of these people get one or two lines that are real zingers. One of the residents only says the words 'I am' and it's one of the biggest laughs of the scene. I really can't sing the praises of this script enough, and what's impressive is how they handle the more emotional scenes. There are never any tear-jerker moments, but it's not like the more heartfelt scenes don't fall flat. I could see the romance coming, but the way it built up, I was never rolling my eyes at it. I don't usually drone on about a script for this long, but I can't help it. I'm a writer, and I can't come across a script this good without singing its praises to the heavens. In fact, I don't normally do this, but it feels justified. This film was written by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis. Excellent work, you two. Because I know you're reading this and my opinion matters very much to you.

Andie MacDowell as Rita

Now, let's talk a little more about the cast. There's not really much I can say here, so I'll keep it brief. Andie MacDowell does a fantastic job as Rita, and she's by far the most down-to earth person in the film. She feels the most grounded, and the portrayal from MacDowell goes a long way to endearing her to the audience. After Murray, she has the most range here, and she runs the gambit really well. The only other main actor worth mentioning here is Chris Elliott as Larry and, let me just say, when he appeared on screen at the beginning of the movie, I got very excited. I haven't seen him in much prior to this, just as a recurring character in How I Met Your Mother and a guest appearance in Community, and I loved him in both. That's why I was so happy to love him in this as well. Again, I haven't seen everything he's done, but in everything I've seen him do, his comedic timing has always been perfect, and this is no exception. He's not given much to do here, but he nails it all, and he gets an awful lot of laughs for the amount of time he's onscreen.

Chris Elliot as Larry

Okay, time for the main event: Bill Murray. I shouldn't even need to tell you how brilliant he was in this, but here we are. I'm honestly a little shocked he didn't even get an Oscar nomination for this role. Yeah, it's not a huge performance, certainly not an over-the-top emotional one, but it's one of the more nuanced performances I've ever seen an actor give. With a concept and role like this, you could easily expect the main actor to go to Jim Carrey levels of over-the-top with it, but Murray plays it more subtle and, really, more relatable. It's very easy to relate to this guy, which is a big secret to this film's success. Yeah, the entire opening of the film is Phil acting like a jerk, but not only does Murray never go too unlikable with it, but we also get a lot of moments of the light-hearted Phil coming out to warm us up to him. Opening with that weather forecast was exactly what this film needed to do, and juxtaposing that with Rita's introduction goes a million miles to helping us buy into why they may get together later on. I know I'm talking more about the script again, but I can't help it! This is such a clever film! Murray's comedic timing, the softer moments, the concepts, the execution, the character progression... gah! I'm in love with this movie. Don't even ask me to criticise it right now. If you had a gun to my head and demanded me to say something bad about this movie, my response would be 'It's too good'.

Bill Murray as Phil

Groundhog Day (1993) just ticks all of my boxes for a comedy, and will likely get even better on repeat viewings. Let me put it this way: the film doesn't even bother to explain how or why the film's happening, and it doesn't feel emptier for it. This is easily one of my favourite movies I've ever seen, and you should absolutely watch it if you haven't already. 10/10