Groundhog Day Themes

Prominent since the genesis of silent films, the comedy genre of cinema endures as “light-hearted dramas, crafted to amuse, entertain, and provoke enjoyment.” While this statement is undeniable, comedic films can also dabble in providing something more than a superficial entertainment for the audience. Specifically, in Groundhog Day, the film can be analyzed and “unpacked” for an audience to realize themes and lessons just as intricately interwoven with the plot as dramatic films. Although not reaching the artistic caliber that dramas attempt to achieve, comedies teach audiences about their own emotional reality, just through more straightforward terms. Groundhog Day serves as a prime example. Through the transformation that the main character,

When audiences look closer into this basic theme, they draw connections between time and its complexity within other themes of the film. In a literal sense, the physical representation of time is present from the actual time of the of the movie as a whole to the mise-en-scene choices of the director Harold Ramis. For the 101 minutes of screen time, audiences experience a parallel between Phil’s sense of the fleeting of time while remaining within the same place. Viewers, on a smaller scale, go through the time loop that Phil experiences, adding to the mini-catharsis experienced by the audience. An audience experiences the manipulation of time by a greater being- the director- like Phil experiences with whatever supernatural has warped for him. The audience also empathizes with the repetition of time, day in and day out. Just as the audience goes through the daily motions of their lives, so does Phil. Bored and disinterested, the audience of Groundhog Day understand and relate to Phil, who represents an exaggerated version of

Through loneliness, viewers can see how Phil transforms from a stoic middle-aged man to a sincerely affable human. The straightforward acknowledgement by the director of loneliness in Groundhog Day allows viewers to sympathize and actually connect with Phil’s character, which is an interesting juxtaposition. Death allows viewers to empathize with Phil’s progression through the “5 stages of grief”, Rubin, the screenwriter’s, interpretation of Phil’s repeated cycle of February 2nd. (49) While Gilbey briefly mentions the screenwriter’s take on Groundhog Day, he fails to expand upon this unique idea and its affect on the film as a whole. The audience sees Phil transition from a frustrated, angry man who loves his static, unchanging life, a life of loneliness and isolation. These feelings bridge into the denial Phil feels as he starts to understand his predicament in Punxsutawney. Phil bargains with the supernatural, trying different tactics to exit the time loop so forcefully imposed upon him. Depression most prominently highlighted in the film, Phil reaches a brink of desperate grief that he commits suicide multiple times to try breaking both the metaphorical and literal repetition of February 2nd. Finally, Phil reaches some form of acceptance of his