Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle-Murray, Marita Geraghty, Angela Paton, Rick Ducommun, Rick Overton, Robin Duke, Hynden Walch, Michael Shannon, Ken Hudson Campbell
Review: Arrogant, self-centered TV weatherman, Phil Connors (Bill Murray), along with his producer, Rita (Andie MacDowell) and cameraman, Larry (Chris Elliott), head to Punxsutawney, PA to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities. After a surprise blizzard traps them in the small town Phil discovers that when he wakes up it's February 2nd all over again...and again...and again...and again.
What is there to say about Groundhog Day that hasn't already been said? It's arguably the best movie that both Bill Murray and the late, great Harold Ramis ever made. Bill Murray was born to play Phil Connors because it calls on him to show the best and worst of how he can be. He starts out as a ego-eccentric cynic that thinks he's got it all figured out, but as his fateful day in Punxsutawney repeats itself over and over again he begins to look both inward and outward to make just one day the best day.
Murray and the pitch-perfect script by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis are laugh-out-loud hilarious, which you'd expect. But what I found the most entertaining and effective is Murray's character's transformation over the inexplicable time he's been reliving. It's not an easy role to pull off, but in the hands of Bill Murray he makes it look so easy and genuine that you completely buy into this comedic-fantasy before Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow for the third time...or was it the fourth time? And the lovely Andie MacDowell has the girl-next-door quality that just makes you smile when she's on-screen. Her relentlessly cheerful Rita also seem genuine and sweet, and it's not hard to see why Murray's Phil is quite taken with her.
Ramis other two unsung heroes of his movie are the stellar cast and the setting. With a cast like Chris Elliott, Brian Doyle-Murray, Marita Geraghty, Angela Paton, Rick Ducommun, Rick Overton, Robin Duke, Hynden Walch, Ken Hudson Campbell, and Stephen Tobolowsky as everyone's favorite insurance salesman, Ned... Ryerson. And keep your eyes peeled for a very young Michael Shannon in his big screen debut. And Woodstock, Illinois playing the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania gives Groundhog Day a sweet, authentic small town feel and avoids acting like "movie town". This really helps viewers get invested in the story and characters, like really great movies do.
Groundhog Day is a classic in every sense. It's not only one of the best comedies ever made, but I'd have to say it's one of the best movies ever made. It's the movie that shows Bill Murray at his very best, and it also showed that he's not just a funny guy in movies, but he's a damn good actor. If you've never seen Groundhog Day it's a must-watch! And once you've seen it you'll want to watch it again, and again, and again, and again, and again.
Fun Fact: Danny Rubin said that one of the inspirational moments in the creation of the story, came after reading "Interview with the Vampire", which got him thinking about what it would be like to live forever.