Groundhog Day Harold Ramis

Groundhog Day is considered one of the most beloved comedy films ever made, an all-time classic, and a pop culture touchstone.[7][142][143] In 2020, Paste described it as having a "mythic, permanent pop cultural status reserved for few films."[77] The film's success made Ramis a credible comedy director, opening up more creative opportunities for him.[144][145] Over the rest of the 1990s, he would direct 1996's Multiplicity (also starring MacDowell), 1999's Analyze This, and 2000's Bedazzled.[11][145] Groundhog Day also showcased Murray's capabilities as an actor, changing perceptions of him as a comedian to a broad-ranged actor and credible romantic lead. His performance is seen as a transitioning point to later roles in serious films like Rushmore (1998), his Academy Award-nominated performance in Lost in Translation, and Moonrise Kingdom (2012).[30] Rubin started a blog in 2007 that featured fictional conversations between himself and Phil Connors, who had since retired to live on a mountainside near Taos, New Mexico. Rubin taught screenwriting at Harvard University for several years.[6]

Its impact on Woodstock and Punxsutawney was lasting and significant. Since the film's release, Woodstock has hosted its own Groundhog Day festivals. These have included groundhog Woodstock Willie,[49] screenings of the film, and walking tours of filming locations.[53] The town attracts approximately 1,000 tourists for its yearly event, which has featured appearances by Albert, Rubin, and Tobolowsky.[7] Punxsutawney, which once drew only a few hundred visitors to its festival, has since attracted tens of thousands. The year following the film's release, over 35,000 people visited the town for Groundhog Day.[4][7] Residents appreciate the film's impact on the town, but assert that their focus remains on Punxsutawney Phil and the long-lived festival.[7] In Woodstock, plaques are positioned at key locations used in the film, commemorating moments including Phil meeting Ned, the pothole in which Phil trips, and the town square pavilion where Phil and Rita share a dance.[49][146]

As of 2016, Rubin continued to receive mail from fans, philosophers, and religious leaders; their content ranged from simple letters to sermons and dissertations. He has spoken of psychiatrists who recommend the film to their patients, and addicts who have told him that it helped them realize they were trapped in a repeating cycle of their own.[4][6] Some time after the film's release, Murray changed his opinion about it. He called it "probably the best work I've done," adding "and probably the best work Harold will ever do."[30][147] In 2018, Tobolowsky said "I think [Murray's] performance in Groundhog Day will stand as one of the greatest comedic performances of all time.... He is able to be both antagonist and protagonist at the same time in the same film. He’s everything that’s horrible and everything that’s wonderful.... I think it’s gonna stand up as long as films are made."[7] The city of Chicago made a proclamation on February 2, 2024 as "Harold Ramis Day", in a ceremony joined by Murray, Ramis' widow Erica Mann Ramis, and other actors from the film.[148]

Critical reassessment

Groundhog Day is considered one of the greatest films ever made.[64][127][149][150][151] Rotten Tomatoes assesses a 94% approval rating from the aggregated reviews of 140 critics, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The consensus reads, "Smart, sweet, and inventive, Groundhog Day highlights Murray's dramatic gifts while still leaving plenty of room for laughs."[152] The film has a score of 72 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[153]

In 2004, The New Yorker called it Ramis's masterpiece.[11] In 2005, as part of his The Great Movies series, Ebert raised his original score for the film from three stars to a full four stars.[5] In this updated review, Ebert said that he had underestimated the film and noted that Murray's performance was essential to making the film work.[6][149] That same year, Jonah Goldberg called it one of the best films of the previous 40 years, positioning it alongside It's a Wonderful Life as one of America's most uplifting and timeless films.[127] In 2009, literary theorist Stanley Fish listed it as one of the ten best American films. He wrote, "The comedy and the philosophy (how shall one live?) do not sit side by side, but inhabit each other in a unity that is incredibly satisfying."[154] It is listed in the 2013 film reference book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, which says "...Bill Murray gives what may be the best and warmest performance of his career in this genius comedy—arguably the best of the 1990s ..."[155] The Guardian attributes its lasting appeal to its use of a classic redemption arc like Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol, and its refusal to explain why the loop occurs, making it less like a typical mainstream film.[30]

In 2000, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked Groundhog Day number 34 on its 100 Years...100 Laughs list recognizing the best comedy films.[156] In 2005, the film's screenplay was listed as the twenty-seventh greatest screenplay of the preceding 75 years on the Writers Guild of America's (WGA) 101 Greatest Screenplays list.[157][158] In a 2008 AFI poll of 1,500 industry members, Groundhog Day was ranked as the eighth-best fantasy film.[159][160] That same year Empire listed the film 259th on its list of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.[150] In 2014, a poll of 2,120 entertainment-industry members by The Hollywood Reporter ranked it the 63rd-best film of all time.[151] In 2015, the screenplay was listed as the third-funniest on the WGA's 101 Funniest Screenplays list, behind Some Like It Hot (1958) and Annie Hall (1977).[161][162] In 2017, the BBC polled 253 critics (118 female, 135 male) from across 52 countries on the funniest film made. Groundhog Day came fourth, behind Annie Hall, Dr. Strangelove (1964), and Some Like It Hot.[163]

Several publications have ranked it as one of the greatest comedy films of all time, including: number one by Empire (2019);[164] number five by Time Out;[165] number 10 by Rotten Tomatoes;[166] number 11 by IGN;[167] number 18 by Paste;[168] number 23 by The Daily Telegraph;[169] and unranked by Film School Rejects and Vogue.[170][171] Rotten Tomatoes also listed the film number 86 on its list of 200 essential movies to watch.[172] Similarly, it has been ranked as one of the greatest films of the 1990s, including: number 4 by IndieWire;[173] number 5 by Slate;[174] number 11 by Rolling Stone;[175] number 12 by ShortList;[176] number 15 by The A.V. Club;[177] number 28 by Rotten Tomatoes;[178] number 41 by Slant Magazine;[179] number 55 by the British Film Institute;[180] and unranked by Time Out.[181]

Cultural impact

William Goldman in 1993 said "I think Groundhog Day is the one that will be—of all of the movies that came out this year, it's the one that will be remembered in 10 years."[5] The same year, Desson Thomson opined "Groundhog will never be designated a national film treasure by the Library of Congress."[89] In 2006, the film was selected by the United States Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[182]

Several filmmakers have spoken of their appreciation for Groundhog Day or cited it as an inspiration in their own careers, including David O. Russell, Terry Jones,[30] and Jay Roach. Roach called it the film that "changed him."[11] Gillian Wearing called it one of her favorite films, citing its unusual structure and intelligent philosophical message.[30] The film's success helped to legitimize the use of fantasy in mainstream comedy films, laying the groundwork for future fantasy comedies such as Liar Liar (1997), The Truman Show (1998), and Click (2006).[30]

The phrase "Groundhog Day" has become a common term to reference a repetitive, unpleasant, and monotonous situation.[30][183] It is recognized by dictionaries under two definitions: the holiday itself, and "a situation in which events are or appear to be continually repeated."[184][185][186] The term's use is such that it has been defined as a cliché to refer to a situation in this way.[186] It has been invoked (sometimes inaccurately) by singers, sports stars, comedians, actors, politicians,[143][187] archbishops,[147] and former Guantanamo Bay detention camp inmates.[188] Then-President Bill Clinton referenced the film in a 1996 speech to troops stationed in Bosnia.[189] The term was used during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, to refer to the monotony of quarantine and isolation associated with attempts to stem the spread of the virus.[190][191]

The narrative concept of someone trapped in a repeating segment of time can be traced back to 1904, and is a popular trope, particularly in science-fiction.[6][142] Groundhog Day was responsible for popularizing the idea to the general public.[192][193][194] Time loops have since been used in several films (including Naken (2000), Source Code (2011), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Happy Death Day (2017) and its sequel, and Palm Springs (2020)),[192][195] television shows (including Russian Doll,[192] Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and The X-Files),[193] and video games (including The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Outer Wilds and Deathloop).[196][197] These narratives often involve a central flawed character who must evolve to escape their chronological imprisonment.[192] The influence of Groundhog Day is such that TV Tropes refers to this narrative arc as the "Groundhog Day Loop."[193] Rubin noted that with his script, he "stumbled upon a story with all the makings of a classic, so simple and true that it could be retold many different ways by many different storytellers."[4] It has been referenced across a range of media, including the 1998 novel About a Boy,[198] the music video for the Craig David song "7 Days," and the Doctor Who audio drama Flip-Flop, that features a time loop on the planet Punxsutawnee.[199] Writing for IGN, Michael Swaim postulated that since Groundhog Day popularized the time loop narrative, it had increased in mainstream popularity in part due to the Flynn effect—a statement on the increasing IQ of the population—that meant audiences could easily follow the more complex narratives, and the desire for nostalgia in the postmodern era of the early 21st century.[200]

On February 2, 2016, fans in Liverpool, England, gathered to watch the film repeatedly for 24 hours.[201] Since February 2 that year (apart from 2017), Sky Cinema has played the film on repeat for 24 hours.[202][203][204] In 2018, the New York Museum of Modern Art debuted a series of films chosen by polling 35 literary and religious scholars, which started with Groundhog Day. There was conflict between the scholars as so many of them wanted to write about the film for the presentation.[127]