"He's having the worst day of his life... over and over."
Definitely one of the more underrated movies out there... I am glad to see that it finally got recognition recently from the American Film Institutes, breaking one of the Top 10 lists of all time for Top 10 Fantasy films. Somewhat of a stretch considering the movie does not explain any magical or mystical reason why Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is stuck repeating the same day over and over again.
I tend to agree with some of the critics of the AFI list that this movie has the credentials of breaking Top 10 Romantic Comedies, thus not taking a spot away from some other Fantasy films. However, I believe it deserves to be recognize for its creative script and clever casting.
This movie spells comedic classic right from the beginning. Not only is it filmed in Punxsatawney, home of the infamous Puxsatawney Phil, it has a wonderful cast stemming from Andie MacDowell and Bill Murray, to the intricate detail side characters like Stephen Toblowsky (Ned Ryerson), Chris Elliott (Larry), and Brian Doyle-Murray (Buster Green) - who just so happens to be Bill Murray's father.
Directed by Harold Ramis - you have to believe Ramis is finally being recognized as a comedic movie genius with Groundhog Day breaking a list like this. The script is wonderfully written and the dialogue of this movie make it an instant modern-day classic in terms of punch line delivery.
Although I am not a big fan of Bill Murray in all of his variety of roles, I do like the casting of Murray as the lead. He delivers a strong, sarcastic portrayal of Phil Connors, somewhat contrasting the George Bailey type of Its a Wonderful Life and his Frank Cross from Scrooged. His despair in this film is what makes it work so well... if you want a good laugh and enjoy movies from the early 90's, this is definitely one to see.
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