Groundhog Day

This weekend in an effort to find a movie that both the adults and the kids could watch we dug up Groundhog Day on Netflix streaming.

Having seen the movie multiple times before I was multi tasking for much of the first half of the film I was pleasantly surprised to hear laughter from my children. Not the churlish, pre ordained laughter you hear at things that are supposed to be funny, but real laughter from something with no hidden agenda or double meaning other than good comedy, some physical, some not.

Bill Murray is a master and while this movie was strictly a comedic role it was not so slapstick as some of his previous roles and so provided a small bridge to the outstanding more varied roles that were to follow.

Phil Connor is the weatherman at a local station in Philadelphia and as tomorrow is February 2nd he gets himself ready to go to Punxsutawny to observe the seasonal Groundhog festival. Phil's is joined by his Cameraman, Chris Elliott, and the segment producer named Rita played by Andie MacDowell.

MacDowell was at this time just making the change from modeling to actor and is surprisingly good in the role. Perhaps it is because her beauty is not the traditional blonde bombshell but a little less easily defined, dark haired and all cheekbones. One can just see her splashing her face with water in a Noxzema commercial. Maybe she actually did that?

After getting through the broadcast Phil is dismayed to learn that he and the crew are trapped by a snowstorm, that he did not predict. Much to his chagrin they stay over and the next morning he awakes at six a.m. to the same song as February 2nd, I Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher. As he brushes his teeth and performs his morning rituals he notices that the radio hosts patter is the same as the day before. When it being Groundhog Day is mentioned Phil looks out the window and is aghast to see the town crowded with tourists and no signs of a snowstorm.

Phil is confused but with a couple of days he realizes that he is stuck inside a time loop. How Phil deals with this problem and learns to use it to his advantage in an effort to improve his relationship makes for a movie that while it is quite obvious in some places actually has more nuance than one would expect for a film of this type.

Murray is stupendous in the role, one cannot say enough good things about his performance as the car salesman like greasy weatherman with all the accompanying personality traits one expects but with, of course, a heart of gold under that exterior. Rita is earnest and finds herself more and more attracted to Phil and makes one wonder how well any of us would do if they could get a do over on any situation that did not work out as planned.

Directed by Murray's Ghostbusters pal Harold Ramis this movie is a winner. It also has been off the beaten path for enough time that your teenagers, like mine, might find it original and funny.