New Film Thing: Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day is a comedy movie. You know, one of them movies with the laughs. Bill Murray is ready to dispense with quips, acerbic takedowns, and weary, nonplussed reactions as he arrives in Punxsutawney and encounters its various dopey townsfolk. He also gets blasted with cold shower water a couple of times and doesn't seem to like it. Honestly, there is a lot of great comedic material in here, but I was too enthralled by the movie's premise (and its implications) to laugh all that much.

Because, seriously, what would anything mean if you existed within an infinitely repeating time loop? Do any actions have meaningful consequences if everything except your own memory just resets the next day? Would the expected emotional end state of all of this be boredom, enlightenment, madness, or something else that my feeble mind cannot comprehend (like "super boredom")? This is the kind of stuff that makes me want to go buy a bunch of philosophy books.

In the movie itself, meaning can be found in Murray's personal development, as his arc is ultimately one of redemption. In some ways, an asshole guy being pushed to become a better person and then "getting the girl" at the end is the plot of 70% of comedy movies, but the combination of the movie's premise and Murray's excellent performance make it seem like he gets there honestly. In order to get there, he has to go through years of indulging in his worst impulses, manipulating people for personal gain, attempting suicide, and then simply feeling deflated and empty before gradually finding a greater sense of contentment through self improvement and helping others.

In conclusion, this popular movie is good.