Goofs for
Groundhog Day (1993) More at IMDbPro »

• Factual errors: Sunrise in early February in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is not until around 7:25 am, so at 6 am it would still be fully dark.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: As Larry films the flaming wreckage of Phil's truck in the quarry, the lights used to create the glow of the fire can be seen reflected in the lens of Larry's camera.
  
  
• Continuity: The outside of the car while Phil is driving with the groundhog.
  
  

• Revealing mistakes: During the police chase with Phil's drinking buddies, no back-up lights are visible on the car tail lights while Phil is backing up the car to elude the police.
  
  
• Continuity: During the police chase when Phil is being chased down the railroad tracks, the police car has a rotating light bar. In close up shots the police lights flashing behind the vehicle are clearly strobe lights.
  
  
• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Rita, supposedly a 19th century French Literature Major, mispronounces "appetit" in the diner.
  
  
• Continuity: As Phil is about to drive the truck over the edge, Larry is filming and Rita is watching; her hair is protruding in many places. In the next shot, her hair is neatly pinned in place.
  
  
• Continuity: On the first day Phil wakes in the hotel he looks out of the window and sees certain cars moving and turning. The next day he looks out of the window again and sees exactly the same cars etc as though it is exactly the same time, but the time is different which we know because the radio show that we can hear is at a different point.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When Phil is driving his car down the quarry ravine in a suicidal attempt, there is clearly no driver visible.
  
  
• Continuity: As Phil is walking toward the town plaza and he rounds the corner and passes by the old beggar, a number of shops can be seen over his shoulder to the right of the screen. This scene is repeated many times in the movie, and sometimes there are flags flying over the shops, while other times there are none.
  
  
• Incorrectly regarded as goofs: We never see Phil try to leave first thing in the morning before the highway gets blocked, but that doesn't mean he didn't try, fail, and give up; there could be many things he tried that we don't see before he finally decided to settle down.
  
  
• Factual errors: Phil removes the spark plug wires on the news van through the hood. These parts are only accessible via the cab.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: While on his death binge, the pickup truck Bill and Phil uses to drive over the cliff clearly has no engine or drive-train components. The underneath shot is even depicted in slow-motion, and one can see clear through to the radiator.
  
  
• Continuity: Since every day takes place on the same day there should be the same amount of snow every night. However there are clearly some nights where there is a lot of snow and others where there is no snow at all.
  
  
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the last part of the movie, Phil is seen playing the piano on stage at the party. As he finishes up song before going and talking to Rita, the piano in the soundtrack is playing a glissando (running a finger rapidly down the keyboard) while Phil is still playing as he was before. Finally, at the last run, Phil's hands match the sound.
  
  
• Continuity: When Phil waits for Felix to drop coins so he can grab one of the money bags, his coat is open except for one shot where it is neatly closed.
  
  
• Continuity: The first evening back in Puxatawney after returning because of the storm, we get a shot of the outside of the hotel where Phil is drinking and remarks to the bartender he would like "another one of these with alcohol". When we see the front of the hotel there is no snow on the ground, and there should have been since it was snowing all day.
  
  
• Continuity: In the scene at the quarry the police car's overhead warning lights alternate between being on or off depending on the shot.
  
  
• Continuity: On the second and third mornings, Phil's pace through the streets is much faster, yet all the people he encounters are in the same place they were on the first morning when he was casually walking to Gobblers Knob.
  
  
• Continuity: When the three ladies with the flat tire are rolling to a stop, the pavement and tire are wet. In the wide shot and while changing the tire, the pavement is dry.
  
  
• Continuity: On the final encounter between Phil Conners and Ned Ryerson when Phil embraces Ned and asks if he can call in sick, the old man is missing from the corner where he should be standing.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: Phil's room in the Cherry Street bed and breakfast is on the top floor overlooking the street. The sizes and number of windows inside his room do not match any combination of those from the exterior shots, which is due to the fact that the interior shots were not filmed on location.
  
  
• Factual errors: When Bill Murray gives the young couple Wrestlemania tickets, the girl, after calming down, responds with "We're going to be in Pittsburgh anyways." This movie came out in 1993, so they were either referring to Wrestlemania IX or Wrestlemania X, which were held in Las Vegas and New York City respectively, so there's no way they could have been Wrestlemania tickets. Either way, Wrestlemania's never been held in Pittsburgh.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• Continuity: As Phil opens the door to leave the Bed and Breakfast on the second morning he has no gloves on and his scarf is outside his coat. As he exits the Bed and Breakfast he is still holding the coffee but now has gloves on and his scarf is neatly tucked in his coat.
  
  
• Miscellaneous: At the beginning of the scene where Phil and Rita talk in the Bavarian restaurant, a waitress crosses carrying 4 large steins of beer. She sets them on the table behind Phil and Rita. Watch as she walks away from the table. She touches the shoulder of the older gentleman seated at hat table and leaves foam on the top of his jacket sleeve.
  
  
• Continuity: The chocolates on the bedside table are in different positions as are the flowers in the arrangement. They should be exactly the same as they were on the first morning since Phil wakes up every morning (until the last) back on Groundhog Day in his room.
  
  
• Continuity: In the opening scene where the van drives to the hotel to drop Rita off, the sign on the front of the building is clearly blank, whereas in successive scenes it reads: "Pennsylvania Hotel".
  
  
• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the Bavarian restaurant, a poster appears on the wall reads "Alles Gute Zum Erdhörnchentag". This is supposed to mean "Happy Groundhog Day", but is however a mistranslation because "Erdhörnchen" means "Gopher". The poster should have read "Alles Gute Zum Murmeltiertag".
  
  
• Continuity: During Phil Conners' first newscast in Punxsutawney, there is a long pause between Rita's "Oh, isn't he cute!" and Buster's announcement of Phil the Groundhog's decision, during which Buster and his crew talk to Phil. During Phil Conners' newscast on the second day, Buster's announcement happens almost immediately after Rita's exclamation.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When Bill Murray is attempting to resuscitate the homeless man, the homeless man is supposed to be dead, but you can see his breath in the cold night air.
  
  

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