1993 holiday classicRating: 15/20 (Jen: 13/20; Dylan: 12/20)
Plot: A misanthropic and egocentric weatherman reluctantly makes the trip to Puxatony to see if Phil the Groundhog sees his shadow or not. Like most rational people, he realizes that this is a tradition that future generations will make fun of us for. He wakes at 6:00 to the vocal stylings of Sonny and Cher and lives his day, a day ending a blizzard stranding him in Puxatony. When he wakes up the next day, it turns out to not be the next day at all, starting what seems to be an endless stream of Groundhog Days for the poor weatherman.
This is a great premise, and for the most part, it works. Bill Murray is good here as a character that I can't imagine many people liking or rooting for even though he does learn how to be a human being by the end of the movie. That guy knows how to deliver a line, and a lot of contemporary funnymen could learn something by watching this. Chris Elliott is also in the movie, always a plus. He should have played Puxatony Phil though. There are some times when there are almost too many ideas thrown in the script. I think there's even some jokes about kitchen sinks in there. And when the romance starts developing, the movie starts to lose a little steam. Does this count as a time travel movie?
Sidebar: I recall seeing this at the Indiana Theater with Jen, but she insists I'm making that up.
Another example of a movie that gets better with repeated viewings.
ReplyDelete"Ned Ryerson? I dated your sister Mary Pat a couple times until you told me not to anymore?"
OK, "crap thoughts" may have been a little harsh. You seem to like this fine, but not love it as you should, and as I do.
ReplyDeleteFirst, let me say that the worst thing about living every day over would be having to spend it with Andie(?) McDowell. Like the trailblazer Amy Madigan in "Field of Dreams", this woman tries her best to ruin an all-time great movie.
Second, it does become a little saccarine and Murray does overdo it a bit here and there.
Third, comedy is nearly as subjective as music.
All of that being said, I believe "Groundhog Day" stands with "Raising Arizona" as the two greatest film comedies (for very different reasons). Why? Because it is a combination of great situation/ idea, great dry humor delivered by the best comic actor of this generation, and a deeoer meaning that elevates the film into something a little profound.
In "Groudhog Day" there is a God. And that God tests Bill Murray. Not to summarize to much, but at first Murray thinks it's great. He is a selfish man, so naturally he tries to take seflish advantage (gluttony, sex, money, wild behavior). No matter how much he gets, it does not make him happy. He goes from delighted to despondant to suicidal (Murray is great at showing a full range). Only when he lives unselfishly for other people does he become a full and happy human being. Only then does God or whatever deem that he is ready to rejoin life. That is quite a message for what could have been just a gimmiky comedy. I saw "Groundhog Day" at a theatre when it came out, and it is the only comedy I have seen that really made me think and see things differently.
Just for the dry and very funny humor "Groundhog Day" would be worth a 16 or 17. Because it is so much more than that, it is my favorite comedy and gets a 20.
20! wow.
ReplyDeletethis is a movie I'd be please that my in-laws rented because it didn't totally suck. But, by no means does it hold a candle to Raising Arizona. How could you find fault with Andie McDowell and still give it a perfect mark? A perfect movies to me means perfect, nothing wrong with it, flawless. I don't get it.
But hey that's fine. I mean FLAWLESS for 20 right?
I'm "subjective grading man" (I gave "Monster Zero" a 20), remember? There aren't many perfect films. Like loving a woman who is not perfect, loving means you can overlook a flaw or two. "Field of Dreams", "Jaws", "Groundhog Day", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", etc., are not perfect, but I love watching them more than other better crafted films. They are "magic", for me. You gave "Reflections of a Golden Eye" (which I have not seen, yet) a 19. Does that mean it was nearly perfect in all ways, or is it just a movie that hits you just right?
ReplyDeleteSorry... "... in a Golden Eye". "Two-Lane Blacktop" also got a 19. Do you think that was nearly flawless, or do you simply love it?
ReplyDeleteI can dig it Cory.
ReplyDeleteI reserve 20s for perfect films. 19s are ones I love that may have a few flaws. Reflection rating was a tad high. I found Two Lane Blacktop to be nearly perfect.
I love the original Star Wars and Raiders to death but couldn't give them 20's.
Amazingly I give 3 coen bros movies 20's... Fargo, Lebowski and Raising Arizona.
That does clarify things. It's good to know how to interpret each others grades. I love movies, and for me the scale represents blending my objective and subjective feelings. A 20 equals movie magic equals love. The greater the movie's magic, the more it can compensate for any shortcomings. Shane's grades are supposed to be objective, but he falls off the wagon all the time. I am not educated enough about film to be an expert, so I just call them how I feel them in my gut (it's more fun that way, and then I'm never wrong... just warped). You do it too. "...Blacktop" is FAR, and I mean FAR from an objectively flawless film. You should just drink the Kool-Aid, and go ahead and give the first two "Star Wars" the 20's that they deserve.
ReplyDeleteTwo Lane Blacktop perfectly accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish. No wasted moments in my mind.
ReplyDeleteGroundhog Day being your favorite comedy definitely sheds light on where you're coming from. Many grains of salt must now be taken.
Stranger Than Paradise is in my top 3 favorite comedies, so that's where I'm coming from.
Night and day.
Groundhog Day is Murrays best movie. Its just hilarious, fun and has some real things to say about what it means to be a person, and what is actually important and whats not.
ReplyDeleteIts a surprisingly deep film, with a lot of surface hilarity. Even Andie McDowell, one of the worst actresses of all time, who tried (And almost succeeded) to destroy Four Weddings and a Funeral, does decent work here.
The scene in the bowling alley, where Murray is pontificating on how there were so many other better days that could have been chosen for him to live over and over again...and his drunk friends just trying to convince him that he might be a bit too dark on things. Comedy gold.
I give this movie a 19.....and its very close to a twenty, but I am also sufficiently bothered enough by McDowell to drop it a single point. Otherwise, this is movie perfection.
And what flaws does someone give a movie like Raiders of the Lost Ark? Why do you think its flawed? How could it possibly be better? Raiders is an inferior film to The Big Lebowski???
Groundhog's Day is deep for 12 year olds and housewives.
ReplyDeleteOK, Barry, I can't think of a flaw in Raiders. 20.
I love that I can now use this...my favorite phrase in all criticism.
ReplyDelete"You just dont get it. Its got layers you dont understand."
Glad I fixed that Raiders of the Lost Ark situation though.
Finally I accomplished something.
As far as Raiders and other Spielberg movies, I like the John Williams score at crucial moments but the INCESSANT and RELENTLESSNESS of it all... he has to tell us how to feel every damn second of the movie. So maybe that is why I was holding onto a point. I need breathing room. But yeah, besides that I couldn't think of anything for Raiders.
ReplyDeleteIf you mean that "Two-Lane Blacktop" sets out to show that two non-actor musicians (who never act again) can't act, then I agree wholeheartedly. A 19 is subjectivity at it's purest. Calling "Stranger Than Paradise" a top-3 comedy (and better than "Groundhog Day" or the 50 other comedies I could mention) makes my head want to explode. Besides the ending, name one thing or line that is exceptionally funny in that film. Salt, indeed. Once again, comedy is subjective, and I respect your opinion, even if I can't understand it.
ReplyDeleteThe only flaw I might cite in "Raiders..." is the wrath of God, melting scene. Of course it still gets a 20, as do all of my 60favorite films.
My favorite hilarious line in Stranger Than Paradise...
ReplyDelete"Hey man, how do you get to Ohio"
"Give me a break buddy, I'm just trying to go to work"
Genius. If you don't get that then you'll never understand. Maybe you have to be from the NY area.
murray's best movie--- life aquatic
ReplyDeletei'm a housewife.
i don't really think groundhog day is deep.
my word verification is manic.
So "...Aquatic" is superior to "Groundhog Day", "KingPin", "Tootsie", "Stripes", "Caddyshack", and "Ghostbusters"?
ReplyDeleteYou might be giving housewives too much credit there, Larry.
Hi Jen (*_*)!
So "...Aquatic" is superior to "Groundhog Day", "KingPin", "Stripes", Caddyshack", and "Ghostbusters"?
ReplyDeleteYou may be giving housewives too much credit, Larry.
Hi Jen (*_*).
This missing comment thing is annoying.
ReplyDeleteTell you what, Larry. If you go to IMDB.com, put in "Stranger Than Paradise", go to the left and click "memerable quotes", you'll see four pages of dialogue, which isn't bad and is about three more than I could have come up with.
If you do the same for "Groundhog Day" you will get 26 pages. There must be more 12 year olds, and less New Yorkers than you think.
Yes Cory, re: Groundhog Day you are right in step with Mainstream America!
ReplyDeleteI'm an elitist snob.
By the way, I if can reccommend a Bill Murray movie here.
ReplyDeleteHe has one directors credit to his name, and thats Quick Change. Its not a bad film. Flawed? Yep....but still hilarious in parts. The entire first twenty minutes in the bank is fantastic.
Amusingly enough it has Bob Elliott, (Chris Elliots more talented father) in a small role...and the entire movie is sort of a warm up for Groundhog Day. Instead of being trapped in the same day over and over, Murray is trapped in New York City, over and over.
I would give Quick Change a 14 or 15....its worth checking out.
12 yr old housewives?
ReplyDeleteGeez Louise! We've probably broken a shane-movies blog record for most comments and shattered the record for the most comments without my participation.
Question: Does Bill Murray's character deserve his happy ending? He changes, but doesn't he change selfishly? That seems like something you'd usually not like about a movie.
Andie McDowell...did her career go downhill when Hollywood realized that nobody liked her? From Robyn Hitchcock's song "Gene Hackman":
"[Gene Hackman's] in every film, sometimes wearing a towel. And if it isn't him, you get Andie McDowell. So don't talk to me about Gene Hackman."
Why bring up 'Reflections', Cory? You haven't seen that one yet.
I never fall off the wagon.
I should probably go back and give 'Raiders' a 20.
I know what you're talking about with Williams music, Larst. But his stuff has become such a part of pop culture. The music in those films are nearly as important as the movies. And I can't imagine those films without his scores. It's impossible.
'Strangers' is an acquired taste. I'm not sure I even realized it was supposed to be funny the first time I saw it.
No film is better than 'The Big Lebowski'...blasphemy, Barry. Blasphemy.
My wife, as always, is exactly right. By "Bill Murray movie," I'm thinking of a movie that you think "Bill Murray" when you hear. 'Caddyshack' isn't really any good anyway. I do like 'Kingpin' but it's not a "Bill Murray movie" exactly. 'Life Aquatic' is my favorite Murray movie, and my wife bringing that up is a great example of why I love her.
Larst, you elitist!
'Broken Flowers'? The link between 'Groundhog' and 'Strangers'?
I love Chris Elliott. Blame David Letterman, I guess.
ReplyDeleteSigh...the Big Lebowski. An average movie that so many people think is the greatest thing ever.
ReplyDeleteFor me it loses speed once Julianne Moore and Bridges hook up. Its just such a mess from then on.
Blasphemer!
ReplyDelete'The Big Lebowski' is a perfect 20/20...says Shane as he tumbles head first from the wagon.
as a housewife, i am too busy to watch many movies, let alone rewatch movies. some of the murray movies you mentioned, i haven't seen since i was 12??? others i haven't seen at all. i stand by life aquatic.
ReplyDeletei love it.
i also love darjeeling.
groundhog day is a good movie. but not great.
i am probably an elitest snob, as well.
life aquatic rules. groundhog drools.
ReplyDeletethe "memorable" quotes on the IMDB site for groundhog are the most rote lines of dialog ever. I guess people just kept putting them up until they had the whole shooting script covered.
Jen I am truly sorry for lumping you in with those who find Groundhog deep. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.
can they just combine Groundhog and Scrooged into one movie?
it is really bugging me that i misspelled elitist. crap. shane was holding a very sleepy sophie and i needed to get her and i didn't type it right. i would tell shane to delete my comment, but he wouldn't do it.
ReplyDeleteno harm in lumping me in with the housewives- for the most part, i am probably like many of them. but, i am snobby about movies.
why am i still on here?
because shane is watching harry potter and i have nothing else to do at the moment. maybe i should have read the books so i would be interested in the movies.
"My" Jen's favorite things to watch are Harry Potter movies and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Both of which are perfect nap vehicles for me. Something so soothing about drifting off to sleep while supernatural beings are battling youngsters.
ReplyDeleteha! i just looked up scrooged because i couldn't remember it--- i was telling shane earlier that the message of groundhog was like that of a christmas carol- there's a murray movie i saw a long time ago. hmmm. i think groundhog should be lumped with scrooged for sure.
ReplyDeletei take lots of naps while shane watches movies. some on purpose. others not so much. he doesn't let me pick out movies. or if i do suggest something he might like, he gets suspicious.
now i just keep commenting because shane is going to pee his pants with the number of comments on groundhog.
shane--- i think we saw groundhog in knoxville... feb 1993 would have been just after we started dating and i didn't visit indiana til thanksgiving break and there was tons of snow and after that, the next time i was in TH was jan 1994. unless they played it a year later? i have no memory of it.
Let's go for 30 comments.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to break this into multiple comments because my computer has kicked me off twice at the end of what follows, and I'm afraid I will have to hurt someone at AOL.
I love seeing all of these Jen comments. She seems to be getting sucking into this, along with the rest of us. Don't worry about typose and mispeled words. We all do it two and only the most "Memorable" 1's will be mentioned, in the nicest way, of course. My problem is that I don't proofread closely, and catch most errors too late. You should definitely read Potter. They are very fun, well written, and are the most "memorable" fiction from this generation.
"Buffy" is my second favorite TV series, ever, and it has never put me to sleep.
ReplyDelete"Aquatic" is a good, quirky comedy that looses some of it's charm as it goes along. A 14.
I like Barry's "Quick Change" better. It is a very funny film worth a 15 or 16.
I mentioned "Reflections..." because Larry gave it an extremely high grade, and I wanted to know if he was being completely "objective" with that grade. If he was, then I would have held judgement until I saw it. I will see it in the next week.
Some of IMDB's quotes are simple dialogue. Only about 20 pages are really funny.
If you aren't sure "Stranger Than Paradise" is even supposed to be a comedy, then it probably isn't a very good comedy. It is an OK, offbeat film.
Wow Cory, still on AOL?
ReplyDeleteIs it because "You've Got Mail" is your favorite romantic comedy? :P
It sure has a lot of memorable quotes on IMDB.
It bumped me again!!! Why can't it happen at the beginning of a comment instead of the end? AOL is cheap and I'm poor, so it's a marriage of necessity... but I may divorce them!
ReplyDeleteIf Murray had changed for selfish reasons, then it would have damaged my view of the film. This OBVIOUSLY is not the case. Shane, you seem to be making a habit of ascribing the worst possible motives to lead characters ("Julie & Julia", "The Quiet Man"). Sometimes it's debatable, here it is irritating. I haven't seen the movie for a while, but if I remember correctly, his first change is when he wants to learn the piano... because he likes the piano. The big change happens when he doesn't want to let the old man die (Murray is terrific in these scenes). What is so selfish and manipulative about that? At this point he has given up the idea of getting out of the loop because he is beginning to truly care about the town and it's people, so much so that when given the chance to leave, he wants to spend his life with them. I thought I was cynical. With such a view, no wonder you are missing "deeper" meanings in great and good films.
Yeah!!! I got to the en
See what I mean? Loses, sucking, etc.
ReplyDeleteI know that 'Strangers' is a comedy now. And Larsto's right--it's freakin' hilarious!
ReplyDeleteIt's not a question of motives with Phil. It's his character. He's a hateful whiney pants. And don't misunderstand. I liked the guy. I always like those misanthropic characters; they remind me a little of myself. I did despise Julie, and I just didn't really want to root for John Wayne's character. I was really only referring to Murray's character before his change anyway. I have no problem with characters changing.
You and Barry are the ones letting a character's hang-ups get in the way of enjoying an absolutely brilliant movie.
What does imdb's quote page have to do with anything?