Haven't I written this review before? (Groundhog Day (DVD))

Member Name: SWSt

Product:	Groundhog Day (DVD)
Date:	20/08/09 (85 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Murray at his sarcastic best, A lot of comedy mined from a simple set-up

Disadvantages: A little slow-paced, predictable end, Blandie McDowall is in it

Anyone who has ever sat in work waiting for the clock to tick round to 5pm will sympathise with the plight of Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. As grumpy, weatherman Phil Connors, he is trapped in a small, provincial town and forced to re-live the same day over and over again.

Groundhog Day is a great, if slightly uneven film and probably marks the last time one of the original "Ghostbusters" team was actually funny. Its simple concept is easy to pick up, yet provides plenty of scope for laughs as we witness Connors trying to stave off the boredom and, along the way, learning to be a better person.

There's no doubt that Groundhog Day is strongest in its middle section. The story has been set up and there's plenty of humour to be mined from seeing Connors test out his apparent ability to do anything, without consequence. It leaves the writers free to dream up all sorts of crazy situations that under normal circumstances would be stupid, but within the confines of Groundhog Day are very funny

It's also here that Murray's comic ability really shines though. His lugubrious face, sarcastic delivery of lines and general air of bad tempered bewilderment is what Murray does best. It's Pete Venkman after the Ghostbusting business died and it plays to Murray's strengths. Sure, he might be coasting and turning in the kind of performance we've seen before, but when it's this funny, why the hell not!

If the middle section provides most of the fun, things are a little patchier elsewhere. Give its relatively simple concept, the film does take a little while to get going, and this can be off-putting. I've tried to get people to watch this and they've run out of patience before the really funny stuff comes in. My advice is to stick with it. Yes, it's a little slow-paced at first, but this is because it is taking the time and care to set up the situations and characters from which the humour will flow later on, rather than relying on cheap nob gags and toilet humour. It's this that pays comedy gold later on, as Murray "relives" a slight variation on a familiar theme every day. The way Connors reacts (and the reaction of people to his increasingly bizarre behaviour) is brilliantly observed and well-worked into the film.

Even so, the early sections are not without plenty of laughs - although these are heavily reliant on Murray being rude and arrogant to people, so if you don't like this style, you may not find it particularly amusing.

It's just a shame that the ending is so formulaic. Sadly, as Connors goes through the film, he starts to learn the inevitable "life lessons" about how "it's nice to be nice". It's no surprise when we witness the change from big bad tempered tomato to Mr Cuddly Bear. This is not a transformation which sits easily with Murray. We want him to be rude, obnoxious and arrogant, because that's when he's funny. There's something very wrong (and unfunny) about Murray being nice.

Eventually, Groundhog Day slips into hugely predictable rom-com territory. OK, you know pretty much from the start that that's going to happen, but for three quarters of the film you don't mind, because it's funny. Once the "moral messages" and "love interest" take over, it drags; the final 15 minutes in particular move rapidly into "sick bag territory". Still, Mrs SWSt would probably say that's just me being a grumpy, cynical old man. Lovers of all things rom-com, will lap it up.

Speaking of rom-coms, the excellent lead established by Murray is somewhat dimmed by the incredibly bland Andie McDowall. Her TV producer, Rita, is so dull that you are seriously in danger of falling asleep every time she opens her mouth. She has an annoying little giggle which makes you want to extract her teeth with a pair of rusty pliers and no anaesthetic and delivers her lines in a way that makes the Collected Speeches of John Major look like a must have DVD. Why anyone would want to fall in love with her is a complete mystery. Personally, I always hope that one day when I watch it, the film will have miraculously changed. I envisage a scene where the Groundhog becomes rabid and viciously savages her to death, leaving Murray to spend an eternity being grumpy and funny. Given Hollywood's current penchant for remakes, may I should pitch that to them?

Anyway, my obvious bias against Blandie McDowell aside, part of the reason why Groundhog Day works so well is because it recognises its limitations. It knows that it's a relatively simple film and concentrates on having fun with its central concept, rather than asking lots of questions. We never find out why Murray is forced to relive the same day over and over; we find very little about his character's background or, indeed, the background of anyone in the film. Everything is kept simple and fun.

This refreshingly quick pace is something some of today's films could learn from. Groundhog Day is funny because it does what it can with a simple idea, then finishes. Once the available jokes are exhausted, things are wrapped up and the end credits roll. Sometimes, simple is better and whilst Groundhog Day is crushingly predictable, at least it's funny with it and knows when to call it a day.

By focusing on the excellent Bill Murray and his grumpy, bad-tempered character, Groundhog Day gives plenty of comedy to the viewer, whilst still managing provide a heart-warming ending for those who like their films with great big spoonfuls of syrup-stickiness.

It's not a film you will watch often (until recently, I last watched it about 10 years ago), but it is one that you will get plenty of enjoyment from when you do.

Basic Information
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Groundhog Day
1993
Director: Harold Ramis
Running time: approx 101 minutes
Certificate: PG

© Copyright SWSt 2009

Summary: Dont' blame it on the hog, blame it on the weatherman