Groundhog Day: Being Caught In A Never Ending Cycle

A news reporter heads to a small town to report on Groundhog day, but as he goes to sleep everything is not as it seems, and as he wakes he is trapped reliving the same day over and over again until he finds a way to break the never-ending cycle.

Groundhog Day was released in 1993, all the way back when I was only a year old, so you might be surprised to know I didn’t get the chance to watch it right away…

The film focuses on Bill Murrays Character, Phil. A Weatherman/News reporter, who, let’s be honest, in the first 10 minutes we realise is a self-loving, arrogant, know it all (like the majority of characters Bill Murray plays.)

There is something truly relatable about Phil as a character, and I would say more so now than ever. Someone who is in a job day to day, and feels almost worn down by it, a feeling I think that throughout Lockdown is something a fair few of us might have related to.

The core premise of this film seems not just relevant today, but more so. During the first 6 months of Lockdown, it felt like we were re-living the same day, over and over and over again. Almost like being trapped in a loop, slowly driving us into madness. Exactly like what our main character Phil goes through when he wakes up after he has finished his day of reporting in the small town of Punxsutawney.

Let’s break it down a little

You have Phil a news reporter sent on a job to report on Groundhog Day in the small town of Punxsutawney, and by his body language, it is not something he is over the moon about doing, just another day on the job.

We are then introduced to Rita, a young reporter fresh on the job, full of energy, excitement, and a smile that could make a grumpy old man feel alive again. You know a little like that person who has just started working at your company and they have the energy of a small child who has just eaten an entire bag of Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles.

At first, they seem like polar opposites, in fact, they are. However, as the story progresses, she is positioned as the guide, the one who will help change Phil’s perspective and ultimately save our main character from his daily curse.

Its a masterclass in storytelling, scriptwriting, and acting

The premise of the film really does not sound overly interesting, you have a person, who is stuck in a loop repeating the same day over and over again. This is something we have seen repeated in more recent years with the likes of Source Code and Edge of Tomorrow, although not nearly executed as well in my personal opinion, sorry Tom!

Although on face value and reading over the synopsis of the film you would be led to believe it is just that, you would be wrong. What this film achieves, for the most part, within a set of repeated scenes is something short of amazing.

Although trapped reliving over the same day, as each day passes Bill Murray’s character continues to grow, into a more realistic, relatable person.

Should I?

Groundhog day is still a fun, exciting, and truly enjoyable story from start to finish.

The deeper undertone within the film, around coming to terms with oneself, feels more relevant today than when it was first released back in the early 90s.

If you haven’t had the chance to watch it already I would strongly advise you to take some time this weekend, get a copy, sit back on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy this cinematic masterpiece unfold.

So if you have made it this far and have not yet watched this great film, then yes, yes you should watch it, and I hope you, like me, add it to your list of great films.