Today is Groundhog Day. I don’t know what day it is when you’re reading this, but as I write, it’s Groundhog Day. For the record, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, promising an early spring. Spring is a time of renewal, so an early spring is welcome. It’s an opening to renew your life. Phil Connors does that in the movie Groundhog Day.
TCM is running a marathon of the movie. Like the day in the movie, it’s running over and over. It’s a funny movie and one with philosophical implications. What if there were no consequences for our actions?
On February 1, Pittsburgh weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) assures his viewers that the impending snowstorm will miss the area. He is assigned to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities in Punxsutawney. He hates the assignment and the local “hicks.”
Phil his new producer, Rita Hanson (Andie McDowell), and his cameraman Larry (Chris Elliot, son of Bob Elliot of Bob and Ray), head for Punxsutawney. Phil wakes up in his room in the inn with Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe” on the radio. He goes out and does a half-hearted report on the groundhog festivities. The blizzard strikes and he and his crew are stuck in Punxsutawney.
When Phil wakes up, it’s Groundhog Day. The same song on the radio, the same banter from the DJ. Phil realizes he’s stuck in a time loop. He confides this to Rita. He winds up talking to a psychologist. Nobody can explain it. He gets drunk. The next morning, he awakes to the same song and the same banter. Phil realizes that since he’s living the same day over and over, there are no consequences for his actions.
He gets drunk, indulges in binge eating, one night stands, and other dangerous activities, and tries to seduce Rita, who rebuffs him. He tries to explain the situation again, predicting events accurately. Rita encourages him to think of the time loop as a blessing, not a curse. Phil decides to use his knowledge gained from the time loop to change himself and do good.
He learns to play the piano. He learns French. He saves people from deadly accidents. He does a report on the Groundhog Day festivities so eloquently that everyone else stops to listen. He also realizes that he is developing real feelings for Rita.
Rita bids for Phil at a charity bachelor auction. He creates an ice sculpture of her and tells her that he’s happy even if he’s stuck in the loop because he loves her. They kiss.
Phil wakes up the next morning to “I Got You Babe” but different banter from the DJ and Rita in bed next to him. He is finally out of the time loop.
What do we learn from Phil’s experience in the time loop? If you’re stuck, love is the way out. We can choose to take an opportunity to do good and spread love, or we can indulge in destructive choices that will keep us stuck in the same thing over and over. It’s a choice, always, and the way out is to choose love.
Groundhog Day is a fun, enjoyable movie, appropriate for the occasion, and teaches us useful lessons. I recommend it. Even if it’s not Groundhog Day.