Groundhog Day

We just finished watching the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliot. Again. We've been watching it on Groundhog Day for the last few years. It is one of my (and my family's) favorite movies. I only saw part of the movie the first time and I was very confused. I didn't know the story beforehand and thought they were making a mistake in showing the movie. I thought the TV station got the parts mixed up! Once I realized what was going on, I really enjoyed it. It's part comedy but it also has some deep parts. As I've seen it through the years, I find new things in it to appreciate each time. This is the first time, for instance, that I realized that no matter how long he tried, he was unable to save the life of an old homeless man.

There are a lot of fun facts about this movie but one of the most amazing was that in his DVD commentary for the movie, I've heard, director Harold Ramis says that at one point it was envisioned that Phil's stay in Groundhog Day and in Punxsutawney lasts about 10,000 years in real time. He would keep track of time by reading a page of a book a day and eventually would read through all the books in the town's library. This was later changed to be 10 years (although that is never explicitly mentioned). Later, Mr. Ramis says he thinks it would take more like 30 or 40 years for Phil to learn all the things he does in the movie. Still quite amazing.

Another of the appealing aspects to this movie is that I think a lot of us have felt we're living out Groundhog Day ourselves. Doing the same things over and over and trapped into a routine. The way Phil finally breaks out of his loop is a good way for us to break our bad routines, too - becoming less self-centered, realizing his 'curse' is really a chance to help others, and find true love.