I found a rather extensive (about 40 min.) commentary by Stephen Tobolowsky, almost all of it about Groundhog Day. Some interesting stuff that I never came across before, Like the entire movie was shot several times over in various weather conditions, so Harold Ramis would be able to later decide what kind of day the repeating day was going to be, and they would be able to match that weather choice with one of every outdoor scene. Also, the entire cast and crew voted on whether, on the last night before the time loop was broken, Phil and Rita “did it” or not.
So just for the hell of it, I found Stephen Tobolowsky’s email address, wrote to him with some comments about the movie and a link to this thread – along with an invitation to browse it or even to join in.
I also threw out the idea of a 2013 20th anniversary of the film cast/crew/fan reunion/convention in Punxsutawney, and asked him it he knew whether anyone was working on some kind of anniversary event. And whether he thought the idea has any merit.
Why there? Have it where the film was actually made, in Woodstock, IL. According to the DVD commentary, the town has put plaques up in various locations used in the film. Punxsutawney had nothing to do with the filming of Groundhog Day.
Don’t really care where, but one thought was that the city town might underwrite part of the expenses for public relations sake. And probably 90% of the people who saw it think it was filmed there.
I don’t know if it has Lebowski Fest type potential. It doesn’t have the kind of characters and quotabilty to sustain that kind of cult-ability. While it’s a very good movie, and (like The Big Lebowski) a movie that has become more and more appreciated over time than it was at the time, I think Groundhog Day is a very unsual movie in that what’s really good about it lies in what kind of musings and contemplations it provokes in the viewer rather than what’s necessarily on screen.
The first time I saw the movie, back when it originally came out, I saw it as a light entertainment. Pleasant enough and amusing, sort of clever, but it didn’t strike me at the time as an enduring classic. It wasn’t until repeated viewings that I started to realize how much it stuck in my head, and how I still found myself thinking about it the day after watching it on HBO the night before. I think that most everybody who watches the movie finds themself contemplating what they would do in that situation, what exactly it took to break the cycle and all the related philosophical questions that go along with it. It’s a rare movie that can provoke that amount of reflection, and I think it does it by not appearing to do it. The light comedy form is deceptive with this movie and the premise itself is an extraordinarily compelling hook for continued rumination and discussion, and it provokes this kind of thought without an ounce of preachiness, pedantry or ponderous (onscreen) naval gazing. That’s the movie’s charm, it’s endlessly fun to think about and talk about the scenario it presents, but it’s not really a movie that lends itself to the kinds of homage (quotability, imitation of characters and scenes) that other cult movies like Lebowski do.
If it were you, how many go around would you have to go through until you were absolutely sure you wouldn’t have to suffer any consequences of your actions?
I think I would always have a nagging doubt in my mind that “Maybe this will be the day I wake up on February 3rd so i better not screw up too badly.” At least until at some point I accidentally died and then still woke up again. I think that would convince me.
What I’m thinking is that the first suicide would be a desperate attempt to break out at any cost. Once I woke up after driving a truck over a cliff and exploding, I would be pretty damn sure about the lack of consequences.
A couple of dozen times, at least. Maybe a few hundred, even. Since he didn’t know what caused the repeating day to start, he’d never know if it was going to end, or not. Each day could, conceivably, be the last repeater, and time could restart. At what point are you willing to take the chance that your actions would, finally, matter? It’d be a while, for me.
And, since I believe that each day would spin off its own reality, I wouldn’t want to do anything which would have lasting, bad effects upon anyone else.
Maybe a way to look at is that he’s getting to make his own, perfect reality. He gets to pick and choose what his future’s going to be.
I’m reminded of another “Groundhog Day” -type movie which came out at roughly the same time- 12:01. In that movie, our hero is able to affect the way things eventually turn out- but it bugs me that he didn’t end things on a perfect note. If you’re repeating, and you have the power to stop the cycle, why end it on anything other than an absolutely perfect day?
To those of you who think Phil spent a fairly short time in the loop (say 2-5 years), how long would it take before you are driven to attempt suicide, again and again, in an attempt to break free, even though it results in death?
Several years for me, I think. Some thoughts I always had about this movie, I tend to think he was in the loop for a long, long time. Probably several hundred years, certainly over 100. I also think he went really crazy for a long time. We don’t see that, except for the suicide attempts, but like someone said above, he ‘came out the other side’ eventually. One thing that struck me early on, after a few hundred days, Phil himself would have no idea how long he’d been repeating. Sure he could start out, remembering “This is the 14th time I’ve repeated the same day!” But how long before he stops caring? How long before he goes crazy and doesn’t remember? Also, I believe he would eventually start forgetting details, because even though his mind isn’t wiped every night, time is still passing for him mentally.
Great thread.
Great movie.
I don’t think it would take all that long. It would take a while to accept that the day was really repeating and I imagine spending many days trying to escape the town and/or the time loop.
If I really got stuck in a time loop I would be freaked out and spend many, many days on escape before it occurred to me to try to get laid or improve my piano/Jeopardy skills. In fact, I think I would be considering suicide as escape well before sex/piano/Jeopardy - 2-5 years doesn’t seem out of line to me.
I took a stroll around the town square a while back, and the only plaque I could find was the one on the wall saying “Ned’s Corner”. The plaque marking Murray’s puddle step seems to have vanished.
By Gad, I’m getting up early and going to Woodstock next 2/2. Anybody wants to meet me there, PM me in January.
Well, even if that book is a Bible, that’s still matches the 10,000 days estimate. That’s 27.3790926 years.
Also, did any of you see the Christmas version of this trope, called Christmas Every Day? I liked the idea that the kid absolutely could not save everyone. He tried listening to the news, and stopping everything they mentioned, but then the B stories made the news instead. They also stuck with the perfect day thing.
I feel less inclined to see the movie (GD) any time soon, as I agree it sounds depressing being stuck like that for that long. I mean, one year of being housebound really grates on me, even though there are changes every day.
I would love to see a sequel. Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell as they’ve aged now, and one day it starts happening again. For no discernible reason, of course.
Man, re-entry would be tough. After that long in a loop he’d be overwhelmed by new situations and new conversations. If he hadn’t gone crazy before, he would then.
I would be freaked out and spend many, many days on escape before it occurred to me to try to get laid or improve my piano/Jeopardy skills. In fact, I think I would be considering suicide as escape well before sex/piano/Jeopardy - 2-5 years doesn’t seem out of line to me.