Groundhog Day: Bill Murray's Funniest and Most Philosophical Film

Can groundhogs predict more than weather? Predict what the future holds for a cranky TV weatherman?

We all love "do overs" - those rare times when we can do something over to get it right or do it better. In school, if we weren't at our best we did a make-up. On the rare occasion in the working world, a client may allow us to redo a project or a manager may give us permission to redo a task to get things just right.

With relationships, we may also get a second chance - sometimes even a lot more - just ask Elizabeth Taylor or Pamela Lee Anderson. Although in those cases, not only doesn't it rarely work out the second time around, but all those bad feelings or stupid mistakes can indeed haunt us through the entirety of the relationship.

What if we could get it absolutely right the first time around?

Groundhog Day plays with just that notion. Bill Murray stars in the movie as a self centered, wacky local TV weatherman who longs for the bigger leagues of network news. When his producer played by Andie McDowell accompanies him to the yearly groundhog festival in Punxsutawney, PA, Murray finds himself living that same day - over and over again - until he realizes there may be no escape to the comfort of tomorrow. The movie works smoothly on multiple levels, as intelligent, though wacky laugh fest, a fun, though never cloying romantic comedy and finally as a subtle exploration of existential philosophy - the idea that our thoughts and actions can impact and influence our reality. As the movie progresses, and Murray lives the same day over, he soon finds that his choices can make the same day turn out quite differently. This is chiefly what makes the film so poignant and powerful.

The film was a big hit and while the mainstream audience embraced it as a delightful comedy, religious leaders the world over actually lauded it as an example of a thoughtfully produced spiritual journey. Without giving the plot away, Murray succeeds in "bettering himself" through trial and error, self-determination and most of all a fiercely honest will power, which resolves his dilemma most effectively, and satisfying for him and us.