Saturday, May 1, 2010

Capsule Review: Groundhog Day (1993)

A high concept comedy - in this case concerning a weatherman trapped in a time loop forcing him to relive a day endlessly - can often collapse under the weight of its plot requirements. This could have particularly been the case here, which wedded a science fiction premise with the loose, improvisational nature of Bill Murray's screen persona. However, director Harold Ramis finds the perfect blend of humor and (surprising) pathos as Murray's Phil Connors goes through stages of excitement, depressing and eventual redemption. It's weighty stuff - particularly in a montage of Phil's attempted suicides - but works beyond all expectations thanks to a terrific cast and a smart script which commits to the concept totally.

But that's one terrible poster.

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