Groundhog Day (1993)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Harold Ramis

Writers (WGA):

Danny Rubin (screenplay) and
Harold Ramis (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 February 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

Every dog has his day.

Plot:

A weatherman finds himself living the same day over and over again.

Plot Keywords:

Groundhog | Groundhog Day | Weather Forecasting | Weatherman | Shovel

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 6	10:00 AM	FX
Tue. July 7	8:00 AM	FX

Cast

Bill Murray	...	Phil
Andie MacDowell	...	Rita
Chris Elliott	...	Larry
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Ned
Brian Doyle-Murray	...	Buster
Marita Geraghty	...	Nancy
Angela Paton	...	Mrs. Lancaster
Rick Ducommun	...	Gus
Rick Overton	...	Ralph
Robin Duke	...	Doris the Waitress
Carol Bivins	...	Anchorwoman
Willie Garson	...	Phil's Assistnat Kenny
Ken Hudson Campbell	...	Man in Hallway
Les Podewell	...	Old Man
Rod Sell	...	Groundhog Official

Also Known As:

...und täglich grüßt das Murmeltier (Germany) [de]
Atrapado en el tiempo (Spain) [es]
Atrapat en el temps (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Bugün aslinda dündü (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Dan mrmota (Serbia) [sr]
Dzien Swistaka (Poland) [pl]
En ny dag truer (Denmark) [da]
En ny dag truer (Norway) [no]
Feitiço do Tempo (Brazil) [pt]
Hechizo del tiempo (Argentina) [es]
I mera tis marmotas (Greece) [el]
Idétlen idõkig (Hungary) [hu]
Lõputu küünlapäev (Estonia) [et]
Lakoom Etmol B'Babokker (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Le jour de la marmotte (Canada: French title) [fr]
Måndag hela veckan (Sweden) [sv]
Na Hromnice o den více (Czech Republic) [cs]
Neskoncen dan (Slovenia) [sl]
O Feitiço do Tempo (Portugal) [pt]
Päiväni murmelina (Finland) [fi]
Ricomincio da capo (Italy) [it]
Un jour sans fin (France) (dubbed version) [fr]

MPAA:

Rated PG for some thematic elements.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:K-10 | Germany:6 | Ireland:15 | Norway:10 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Originally, Phil was supposed to murder the groundhog in his lair. This was changed, however, since it seemed too much like Caddyshack (1980).

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the beginning of the movie when Phil is reading the weather forecast. We can clearly see him standing almost against the blue screen which casts a very strong shadow. Yet in the preview window he appears clear on the projected background. In reality Bill Murray's shadow would have cast a terrible blue screen shadow that would have been impossible to remove using the chroma key.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Phil: Somebody asked me today, "Phil, if you could be anywhere in the world, where would you like to be?" And I said to him, "Prob'ly right here - Elko, Nevada, our nation's high at 79 today." Out in California, they're gonna have some warm weather tomorrow, gang wars, and some *very* overpriced real estate. Up in the Pacific Northwest, as you can see, they're gonna have some very, very tall trees.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Chuck: Chuck Versus Santa Claus (#2.11)" (2008)

Neglected Masterpiece

I thought the film was terrific when I saw it in theaters twelve years ago. Recently in watching it again on cable, I was amazed at the quality of the screenplay. I didn't notice the first time. But on repeated viewings (like reliving Groundhog Day), I was impressed at the story created by the writers. This film is so much more than witty jokes and comic riffs arranged around a gimmick. It has an internal logic and consistency that is very rarely found in screenplays. No joke seemed disposable, and as you laugh your way along, the philosophy underlying the film takes over your imagination.

Check the IMDb listings for this film's awards: look at the numerous British awards for writing. And yet this film was not even nominated for an Oscar. It is so rare that a film's jokes seem just as fresh more than a decade later, but I believe that is because the theme underlying the humor will never go out of fashion.

The acting was terrific, and I now think this is Bill Murray's best work (though I didn't take it seriously when I first saw the film.) But the screenplay is the one of the finest ever written. I don't know if it's studied in film schools, but it ought to be.