It is becoming clearer and clearer that Groundhog Day (1993), directed
by Harold Ramis, is one of the masterpieces of 1990s Hollywood cinema.
One of the first films to use a science-fiction premise as the basis for
romantic comedy, it tells the story of a splenetic TV weatherman, Phil
Connors (Bill Murray at his disreputable best), who finds himself
indefinitely repeating one drab day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The
film is a deeply ambivalent fable: before he finds redemption Phil must
plumb the depths of suicidal despair--and even after he has survived
this, there are no guarantees that he will live happily ever after.
Ryan Gilbey begins his account of Groundhog Day with the long and
unlucky gestation of the script by Danny Rubin, who was interviewed for
this book. Gilbey celebrates the inspired casting of Murray, Andie
MacDowell, and less well-known actors such as Stephen Tobolowsky. In a
subtle analysis, he unpacks the film's remarkable blend of humor and
melancholy, revealing Groundhog Day to be a rare beast--a mainstream
Hollywood comedy that grows richer with each repeat viewing.