It might seem weird to do a movie review from 1993. I've had a sick day from work today, and after sleeping in until lunchtime, I decided to watch a movie on the couch. I've always enjoyed Groundhog Day, I've probably seen it 10 times over the last 25 years. But with the wisdom that age brings, I saw it in a new light today. Part from really appreciating the filmography of the time, when CGI and drones weren't in every-day use, I appreciated the story telling in the movie.
The movie tells the truth about life. Every day is Groundhog day for us, and we get to choose every day what we want to do with our lives.
I love how Bill Murray's character Phil goes through the stages of personal development that perhaps many humans take throughout our lives. He begins the movie being entitled, egocentric and self-absorbed. As he learns his fate of having to relive the same 24 hours over and over, he initially resorts to trickery to get what he wants, although no real lessons are learnt from this stage. He eventually realises that manipulating people doesn't get what he is truly looking for, and enters a period of depression and self-loathing.
He is able to commit suicide in many ways, but re-emerges the next day unscathed. He begins to think he is some kind of God. This leads him to a life of service. He tries to keep a homeless man alive, who dies on Groundhog Day, to no avail. "Sometimes, people just die."
He learns to play the piano and ice sculpt, taking time to indulge his creative side. He learns French poetry.
Once he learns to be selfless and of service, he goes around the town of Punxsutawny rescuing all the people in distress or in need of medical intervention on that day. By living a selfless life of service, he discovers himself, learns to love himself, and is eventually freed from Groundhog Day. Of course in true Hollywood style he also finds love along the way in Andie Macdowall's character, Rita.
I appreciate the parallels with my life, in the journey that Phil Connors takes throughout the movie. I also appreciate the absurdity of life, in that we start with a blank canvas, and create a life that we can end up stuck in, when at any time we can opt out of our current situation by changing the things that make us unhappy. Whenever we wake up in the morning we have a chance to learn and grow, and become the people we truly wish to be.