What makes a movie worth watching over and over and over again? For me a good movie has to have the following elements.
(1) The story line has to contain a thread of redemption.
(2) The characters have to behave in a way that is true to their development (they don't necessarily have to behave in a logical way, only in a way that is consistent with how they have been presented to us in the film).
(3) The movie must have a realistic view of human nature.
(4) The film must not insult my intelligence.
"Groundhog Day" is first and foremost a movie about redemption. In this case the redemption belongs to the Bill Murray character, Phil Conners. Phil is not a very nice man. He is self-absorbed, sex-obsessed, condescending, and an all-around jerk.
A weather man at a local Pittsburgh TV station, Phil is sent on assignment to Punxsatawney, PA. with a producer, Rita (Andie MacDowell) and a cameraman, Larry (Chris Elliot).Their assignment is to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities. This is Phil's fourth straight year to cover the event and he is only there to file the report and get back to Pittsburgh as soon as possible. Arriving the night before "Groundhog Day," we are given a glimpse of Phil's morning from the time he wakes up until the time immediately following the report.
However (and ironically so), weather prevents the crew from returning to Pittsburgh so Phil, Rita and Larry must spend one more night in Punxsatawney. This starts Phil on a journey of change through the vehicle of a time loop. Phil must relive Groundhog Day over and over and over and over again ( I read somewhere that the writer envisioned the time loop lasting for 10,000 years). During this perpetual Groundhog Day Phil goes through a transformation that I think is both realistic and true to his character.
One can only imagine what it would be like to wake up every morning (he wakes up each day to the song I've Got You Babe) and already know what lies ahead. At first, Phil is incredulous and a little freaked. As time passes however, he goes through several logical stages. He goes through a hedonistic stage (each day starts anew so he might as well eat what he wants, drink as much as he wants and act however he wants since there are no consequences to his behavior), a futility stage (he tries to end his life in several unique ways and at one point he tells Rita that he is God, he reasons this since he cannot die), and finally the self-improvement stage.
The self-improvement stage starts out with Phil seeking to win over Rita, with each attempt thwarted somewhere in the process. It is only when he stops thinking about himself and starts thinking about others that he begins to become the kind of person that Rita would be attracted to.
As for how it ends, you will have to see the movie, but the pay off is worth it. For more on the film see here, here and here.
Rated PG the film is remarkably mild for a major motion picture release.
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