When arrogant TV weatherman Phil Connors (Bin Murray)
travels to the small town of Punxsutawney
for the yearly Groundhog Day celebrations he wants the day to go as quickly as
possible. Feeling the job is beneath him he is looking forward to a quick piece
to camera before heading back to Pittsburgh.
Unfortunately for Phil his miserable day in the small town lasts a lot longer
than expected as when he wakes up the following morning he discovers that it is
Groundhog Day all over again. Phil keeps experiencing the same day over and
over desperate for a way to see a tomorrow which seems as though it will never
come.
I first saw Groundhog
Day about fifteen years ago and have watched it everyday since. In 2006 it
was added to the US Nation Film Registry and I’m not surprised. As well as
being a family favourite it can also be watched on a different level and raises
questions about ones purpose or meaning in life as well as exploring the mental
issues around repetition and the feeling of being trapped or held by something
beyond your control. Although Connors is trapped by some sort of paranormal
force the film could be seen as an analogy for the trappings of poverty and
even touches on that aspect in a literal way with a brief inclusion of a couple
of drunk characters. Even if you don’t want to read into the film in any great
detail, it is still enormously entertaining and ironically the sort of film
that you can watch again and again.
