Groundhog Day (1993)

Written by CinemaSerf on June 9, 2025

“Phil” (Bill Murray) is one of those local television personalities who has delusions of grandeur. He thinks himself way more significant than he is as he is frequently acknowledged by the little man who thinks he’s wonderful as he huffs and he puffs the storms away on screen. For the fourth year in succession, he is to do a quick link from a small town that delights in consulting a ground-hog every year for signs of spring. This year, it suggests six more weeks of winter but that is just the start of of the problems for our cynical forecaster as he, his producer “Rita” (Andi McDowell) and cameraman “Larry” (Chris Elliott) find that a snow-induced accident is preventing them getting home. What’s one more night in his B&B, eh? Except, he awakens next morning and is immediately hit by an unnerving déjà-vu! He meets the same people and witnesses the same ceremony. What is going on? His team think he’s just under a bit of stress - but by day eight of this repetitive scenario he is beginning to lose the plot. Now if you were given the same day over and over again, what might you do? Turn to drink? Try to better yourself? Do some daft stuff that you know couldn’t hurt you for long? Help some folk? Fall in love? Well it’s safe to say that “Phil” ends up having a go at many of these options - but which, if any, will break this spell and set him free? There isn’t an whole load of jeopardy with the story arc, here, but it’s the escapades of the fractious, the frustrated then the more stoic “Phil” that entertains and Murray is at his best. Scathing and pompous becomes something altogether unexpected as his predicament takes it’s toll and opens his mind and his eyes. McDowell does just about enough though she doesn’t really add so very much but Elliott makes more of his smaller part as the team boffin in whom “Phil” has precisely zero interest. It also takes quite an humorous swipe at many things suburban. The community of the cheery and the well-meaning, the cheesy and the pathetic. These traits are all exposed to some of the spotlight here as our disgruntled visitor has plenty of time to explore more fully a town that we can all recognise, appreciate and ridicule. It’s not really laugh out loud, no, and at times the punchlines are telegraphed on ahead a bit, but it holds together well and has a certain “A Christmas Carol” sentiment to it. If you like your humour sophisticated, then look elsewhere. If not, then this is good fun.