The Original Time-Loop Movie Being Hidden From Audiences
These days, the concept of the “time loop” movie is as ubiquitous and widely understood as the body swap genre, with multiple takes on the cinematic trope hitting screens each year. Fans have even come to refer to the style of film showcasing a character reliving each day over and over again as a “Groundhog Day style movie,” or “Groundhog Day-ing.” Despite the obvious popularity of this trope, the original Groundhog Day is currently being lost to new fans, as the film is not streaming on any major service.
Bill Murray In Groundhog Day
In case you’ve somehow come this far without ever having seen the original Groundhog Day, the narrative centers on a TV weatherman named Phil Connors, portrayed expertly by comedy legend Bill Murray. After arriving in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover the annual Groundhog Day event, Phil finds that he is doomed to relive the same day over and over again, with his actions having absolutely no impact on the twisted cycle. Every day, he wakes up to the sound of his hotel alarm clock playing “I Got You Babe” by Sonny & Cher, and ventures into town to see the same people on a routine schedule.
Trying To Break The Curse
At first, Phil attempts to have a semi-normal rotation of his repeating day, where he performs his broadcast, interfaces with his coworkers, and networks with a few upbeat citizens of the Pennsylvania locale.
After a while, though, Phil begins to crack, and starts getting weird and experimental to break his curse. As Groundhog Day continues, we get multiple montages of Phil learning new skills like piano playing and ice sculpting, courting young women for one-night stands, and even attempting various forms of suicide.
Directed Be Harold Ramis
Today, Groundhog Day is a certifiable classic, touting a near-perfect 94 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Much of the film’s success can be attributed to the clashing visions of Bill Murray and writer-director Harold Ramis, who disagreed heavily on how the film should be presented.
Ramis wanted Groundhog Day to be an easily-digestible outright comedy, so he packed the world of Punxsutawney with wacky characters, silly situations, and lots of well-written jokes. Murray, on the other hand, was going through a rough time in his personal life, and chose to play the character of Phil Connors as severely jaded, depressed, and sardonic.
Nothing Beats Groundhog Day
Depending on who you ask, Phil spent between 10 years and 10,000 years trapped in the Groundhog Day loop, having amassed lifetimes of skills in the single 24-hour period of February 2. Other films have gone to great lengths to replicate Groundhog Day‘s success, though few can say that their protagonists have suffered quite as much.
Not On Streaming
REVIEW SCORE
While it is truly a crime that Groundhog Day is not available to stream, the film will surely find its way back onto a service such as Netflix or Amazon Prime in the near future. In the meantime, there are plenty of Groundhog Day style movies to check out, including Palm Springs, Edge of Tomorrow, and Two Distant Strangers, just to name a few favorites.
