GROUNDHOG DAY / STRIPES

Groundhog Day (1993)Had never seen this before and I’d heard from many that it was a comedy classic and one of (if not) Bill Murray’s best performance. The film follows weatherman Phil (Murray) who finds himself reliving the same day over and over in what may be his least favourite place on earth. I have to agree with that previous statement I’d heard, this is the best Bill Murray performance I’ve seen, Phil starts off the movie as a bit of a sarcastic douchebag and Murray’s delivery of lines and facial expression is hilarious, however this movie is also a character drama as well as a comedy and the more serious scenes he also nails and the script is really well written so his character development is consistently interesting. Main supporting cast member Rita (Andie MacDowell) is very good as well and her and Murray have great chemistry to give a believable and fun romance. Even the minor supporting cast members are memorable and have funny moments. The pacing does suffer at times (due to the repetitive structure which is essential to the plot) and like all comedies not every joke lands. However Groundhog Day was a very enjoyable easy watch with a top lead performance and original premise.

A film crew goes to a small town to cover the Groundhog Day event and get trapped overnight by bad weather. The grumpy reporter Phil, played by Bill Murray, however finds that he cannot leave the town. Every day he wakes up on Groundhog Day and has to encounter the same people and situations again and again.I recently borrowed a library book by Paul Hannam called 'The Wisdom of Groundhog Day' and discovered that I hadn't previously realised that this old film from way back was so deep! I had seen the film when it first came out, and thought it quite funny: Unlikeable sarcastic man eventually learns to be nice.We see how Phil gradually accepts his situation and changes his behaviour and treatment of others. He realises that he needs to savour and appreciate what he has now, today and make the best of it. Only once he has surrendered fully to this state of affairs, can he move on. With plenty of jokes and easy on the philosophising.

I love this film. My only complaint is that.....it's not long enough!Maybe to the millenials it may seem drawn out, dated & boring compared to the CGI'd blockbusters of today that they've grown up with but this is a real classic from the 'pre-remake' era (that exploded when they realised that the old ones were the best) and something that even I myself will admit, didn't appreciate on first viewing. Years down the line & recently though, I actually got the urge to watch it, sought it out & PAID to watch it on Amazon! I wasn't disappointed in the slightest! One of those films that, if you hear about it........WATCH IT!! :-)

I've resisted watching this film for so long, and only caved in when the offer came along!It was great to see a fairly old and much referenced movie for the first time, and what a treat too!I'm not sure what I was expecting, I didn't even know the "story" until just after it was delivered, but it was a nice film to watch and, despite the time-looping that is thankfully never explained, it manages to be creatively repetitive in way that illuminate the changes that Phil Connors/Bill Murray undergoes as he realises and profits from his time-looping and the complete reset that each night brings. It isn't a film you come to for insights into people, but they're there all the same - nicely done!It isn't fall-about comedy - although we laughed often enough - but more subtle humour that is all about timing and delivery. In fact it's often not a funny film, but more situational and setting up expectations as to what's coming next, only to find humour in how Phil/Bill deals with it. I have to admit that with a couple of decades build-up I was expecting to be a little disappointed, instead I think we've found another Christmas eve film to join other things in a similar vein such as Maverick (funnier), the Despicable Me/Toy Story franchises and such films that go nicely with some forbidden food and a tipple or two, all while cuddled in front of the box!

What more can be said about the masterpiece that is Groundhog Day? An odd mix between Back To The Future (I) and Ovid's Metamorphoses, the tale of Phil Connor's ten thousand years (the scriptwriter's estimate) reliving same day just so that he can become an ordinary, reasonable person remains the most rewatchable examination of pathological narcissism available to date. For adult viewers given to discussing such things over bottles of vino, this could do well as a double bill with the later and much darker Collosal.

I was expecting to receive the same blu ray copy as shown in the picture however the one that arrived was completely different. This was for a gift and had I known it wasn't the version with the nice slip cover as pictured I would not have purchased it. Very disappointed. The one I received was in a very thin blu ray case that looks super cheap. Would have returned but it was for a gift. The only positive was it turned up quickly.

For anyone who is sick of being hit over the head with samey Christmas movies around November/ December that tell us to stop being scrooges because... 'it's Christmas' and think of the children. I feel like this film actually encapsulates 'Christmas spirit ' a lot better for me despite the fact its about a winters day called 'groundhog day' and not Christmas.We have a reasonable amount of grumpiness from the protagonist as he is pushed into being happy on a cold winters day. The film hen goes through all the motions of where people may find happiness in a small hometown around the holidays and manages to be honest about the human condition while at the same time it leads to a heartwarming but not too cheesy ending. Loved it.