If you haven’t seen the movie Groundhog Day, you’re either very old, very young, or completely detached from contemporary culture. Upon its release in 1993, the title instantaneously became a buzzword for the haunting feeling of living the same day over and over.
Ironically, you can watch the movie again and again without it ever getting old. But from the first time I saw it, I had a question: What does the story actually have to do with Groundhog Day?
If you haven’t seen the movie, go watch it right now. (We’ll be here when you get back.) Bill Murray plays Phil Connors, a cynical, narcissistic TV weatherman dispatched against his will to cover Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Trapped in the tiny rural town by a snap blizzard, Phil wakes up the following morning to discover that yesterday has become today. The same thing happens again the next day and the next and the day after that.
Initially, Phil believes he’s woken up in the ultimate amusement park. Since each day resets the next morning, he faces no consequences for his actions. He spends his time seducing women and causing general mayhem. But as hedonistic indulgence........