Random thoughts on the films I see

“Rise and shine, campers, and don’t forget your booties ’cause it’s cooooold out there today.”
 

“Don’t drive angry. Do not drive angry.”

Bill Murray teams up with fellow Ghostbusters/Stripes/Caddyshack buddy Harold Ramis once again with Ramis directing. Murray plays Phil Connors a selfish/cynical TV weatherman covering the Groundhog Day in a backwater of Pennsylvania. A complete opposite character Rita is played by Andie MacDowell is his producer. Phil discovers however he keeps waking up on the same day again and again, and only he can rememeber the fact. Not only does this film have some great comic moments, but is rather philsophical and has more than one nod towards It’s a Wonderful Life and it’s take on living the life.
He starts thinking he is going slightly crazy, then has some fun chatting up the local good-looker, robbing, drink driving etc. He tries in vain to get Rita, but she never falls for his advances no matter how hard he tries. Learning French Poetry, paying some kids to throw snowballs to make things seem natural. He eventually gives up, obviously falling in love with her in the process of getting to know her. So he tries to kill himself (multiple times). Even stealing the groundhog and going on crazy car chase, which crashes down into a quarry.
He shows Rita how much he knows about everyone in the town having been there so long, and she stays up with. She hints that she would use the time better if she could re-live the same day over again. So Phil starts a campaign, learning to play piano, ice sculpt etc. Before he knows it the whole town is at his feet, and  Rita falls in love with him. He then eventually reaches “tomorrow”. You never know why or what is the reason for the repeating day is, but you see that the character has to change to adapt to the circumstances.

You don’t have to be religious to see the zen like appeal of the film.
Watched this with the wife recently. Unless you know the premise, which I did when I watched it on a ferry trip in 1993, the beginning parts can be quite boring. My wife nearly fell asleep, until I woke her in time for the first repeated day. I’d never noticed this problem before. Maybe it’s best to show the trailer to anyone new to the film first.

Watched this with the wife last night, and he holds up pretty good. Even though Bill Murray can be a bit too comic in some scenes, the central relationship is very believeable (to my experiences of life anyway). The slightly shy Scarlett Johansson, is very good as the bored young wife Charlotte, not finding anything in common with her husband. Her character is loosely based on director Sofia Coppola’s own experiences. In fact if you watch Coppola in The Godfather Part III she plays herself, the mannerisms are almost the same as Charlotte’s in this film. Bill Murray (Bob) is just bored of his life. The way the relationship builds over a few nights in a Tokyo hotel is realistic.
When Bob sleeps with the singer in the hotel house band, you know Charlotte is disappointed. It’s also heartbreaking watching her watch Bob leave towards the end. The ending still makes me sad, and you hope they can find each other later in life.