As Feb. 2 rolls around every year, America continues to celebrate Groundhog Day, in which we reverantly consult the almighty rodent oracle Punxsutawny Phil. If legend is correct, The 140-year-old groundhog, (who’s supposedly been given an elixir of immortality since 1886,) emerges from his residence in Gobbler’s Knob, and if he sees his shadow, condemns the populace to another six weeks of winter.
The 1993 Movie “Groundhog Day” is an equally absurd, but fun premise. Directed by the late great Harold Ramis of “Ghostbusters” and “Caddyshack” fame, this film is headlined by stars Bill Murray and Andie MacDowall. The movie follows Phil Connors (Murray), an irascible meteorologist who follows his producer Rita (MacDowall) and station cameraman Phil (Chris Elliot) down to Punxsutawney to visit Gobbler’s Knob to cover Groundhog Day in person for WPBH-TV9 in Pittsburgh.
Phil starts out the movie filled with contempt for this assignment, and for the people of Punxsutawney, whom he refers to as “hicks.” He wakes up at 6:00 a.m. on Groundhog Day to Sonny and Cher’s 1965 hit single “I Got You Babe” annoyed by the sunny disposition of local residence and of the irksome nature of “Needle-Nose” Ned, an Insurance salesman, who gleefully confronts Phil in the street, trying to hawk life insurance to him. As he miserably enters Gobbler’s Knob, he’s greeted by a cheerful scene with people holding signs of merriment and dancing to Frankie Yankovic and his Yanks’ “Pennsylvania Polka.”
Phil goes on to provide a half-hearted performance covering the spectacle in an effort to flee Punxsutawny quickly, which is then foiled by a blizzard that Phil incorrectly predicted they could get around. Stuck in Punxsutawney for another day, Phil finally resigns to the inn that he’s staying at for the night, and once again at 6:00 a.m. he awakens to “I Got You Babe” and the same broadcast he woke up to what he thought was yesterday. After interacting with the same people he saw yesterday saying the same things to him, it is revealed to both Phil and the viewers that he’s stuck in some sort of time loop.
He once again gets confronted by the rambunctious Ned, and to his dismay and growing confusion, greeted by a lively crowd at Gobbler’s Knob with “Pennsylvania Polka” once again playing in the background. Phil at first thinks he may have some medical issue, so he seeks the help of a doctor, and is then referred to a psychologist. Inexplicably, Phil is the only character aware that something’s not right, and that Feb.3 may never actually come. Phil decides to go to a bowling alley, and when talking to a couple of the locals, Phil comes to the realization that if whatever he does is erased when he wakes up next morning, there are no real consequences for his actions.
As the movie continues, Phil undergoes three major character arcs, the first being him indulging his hedonistic fantasies, as one is likely to do when they realize their actions have no consequences. Driving home after the bowling alley, Phil suddenly engages in a police chase, in an adrenaline-fueled rampage. Phil also starts to use the loop to fulfill his lustful desires, using his gained experiences to manipulate women into one-night-stands and even try to seduce Rita.
Eventually, the dopamine rush from being able to do whatever he wants fades and an intense melancholy forms. Desperate for a way to escape this never-ending loop, Phil even goes as far as attempting suicide multiple times, and in one memorable example, even steals the hedgehog and brings him along. Finally, accepting his fate, Phil decides that he might as well start trying to do the right thing after Rita succumbs to his advances and believes him after he finally convinces her of his situation.
“During his “redemption arc” Phil decides to use his gained foresight and help people around town. He starts learning and mastering skills including playing the piano, ice sculpting, speaking French and studying poetry, after learning this would please Rita. At the end of the movie, after gaining support from the denizens of the town for his acts of kindness, Rita bids on Phil at a charity auction and wins. The movie ends with them embracing in bed, and when Phil wakes up at 6:00 a.m. the next morning, he realizes it’s finally Feb.3.
Wild fan theories persist to this day about the film, ranging from why Phil was caught in a loop ranging from being a punishment from God, to how long he was actually caught in the loop for, with theories fluctuating from decades to centuries. One thing that isn’t up for debate however, is how influential and beloved this movie still is.
While not the originator of the time loop premise, “Groundhog Day” has certainly become synonymous with it, even more so than more contemporary popular movies that follow it, including Tom Cruise’s “Edge of Tomorrow” and the horror-slasher “Happy Death Day.”
