Groundhog Day
Group 1:
Pooja Shah
James Zhang
Jasmine Bun
Wesley Chen
Andy Le
Title/Opening Credits
Opening Credit: happy music, may be played again later on in the movie
A Harold Ramis Film
Billy Murray
Andie MacDowell
-clouds in the background (represent the repetition of the day over and over
again)
“Someone asked me today, Phil, if you could be anywhere in the world today,
where would you like to be? And I said probably right here. Falco, Nevada.
-while Phil is telling the weather, there are more names that appear on the
bottom.
Story/Plot/Narrative
 Intro begins with a sky shot introducing characters
names
 Main character is a weatherman who is very
entertaining and is a famous anchorman
apparently an editing scene showing a TV intro,
then intro to the city.
 -The News Crew goes to a Groundhog Day
Festival but Phil is pessimistic about the idea.
 -Phil is a narcist and thinks he is the best
 -Phil wakes up to music and washes his face
while the radio talks about the blizzard, Radio
talks about Phil
 - Phil takes his sarcasm to the other level
 - He passes a homeless man and meets Ned.
 -Ned is very talkative and annoying
 -Phil steps into a pool of ice water while getting
away from Ned
 -Phil goes to the festival and it has tons of people
in it, waiting for what the groundhog, Phil says.
 - Phil’s producer is very outgoing and loving-Rita
 -Phil is a groundhog who the town talks to for
weather and that day he ends up seeing his shadow,
which meant 6 more weeks of winter
 - There is going to be a blizzard and gets very
frustrated.
 -When he wakes up the next morning the exact same
dialogue and song plats, and it says its February 2nd
again. Phil asks the business man what day it is, and
he says its Groundhog Day, and we see that he is
mean by the way he reacts.
 - Phil asks someone where everyone is going, and
realizes that it is the festival.
 -Phil makes his way through the city and passes the
homeless man again, and meets Ned for another time;
he once again steps in the water.
 -Third day: he ignores everyone except Rita, who he
explains that he is going through Déjà vu.
 -Phil goes to see a doctor and psychologist.
 -He goes to a bar and meets new friends who drive a
car and realizes that nothing he does will matter the
next day. - He goes to jail and wakes up the next
morning in his bed.
 -Phil knows everything about the woman, and tries to
avoid the questions that she was going to ask.
 - He hits Ned and doesn’t want to talk to him, and he
has a new interest that day: Nancy Taylor, so he
spends 2 days getting to know her to be able to sleep
with her but says Rita’s name instead of her’s during
it.
 -Next day: Phil steals money from the truck and then
thinks that he would like to get to know Rita and ask
her out on a date. Phil takes out a part of the news van
just to stay with Rita (Phil keeps repeating to make
the perfect dates) he does many things to impress her
such as speaking French.
 -They both go dancing by themselves, and Phil kisses
Rita in his new house and they fight as soon as she
realizes that Phil only wants her for his personal
reasons.
 - Phil gets tired of this, and there are many shots of
the alarm and Phil’s frustration builds up.
 -Phil attempts suicide in multiple ways (driving off a
hill, putting a toaster in the path tub, jumping off a
building
 -Phil ends up talking to Rita and she says everything
she liked, and he tells her how he felt about Rita in
the beginning.
 -Phil starts to change: he helps the homeless guy, gets
to know Larry, gets piano lessons, and makes ice
sculptures.
 - He acts as if he is interested in Ned to try to get rid
of him, and Phil tries to make the homeless man
survive.
 - Phil’s last Groundhog Day: he starts to become
hero-like and saves a young child, fixes broken tires,
and saves a man from choking.
 -Phil masters the piano for a party and Rita
buys Phil for the day from an auction.
 -Phil wakes up at 6 and Rita is still with him in
bed
 -“Today is tomorrow” is what Phil says
 -The day continues and Phil and Rita are in
love.
 -Music is very happy just like the one in the
beginning.
Subplot
In the end, when he kissed Rita, you could hear magical
sound in the background, like a fairytale, implying that the
spell is broken.
Rita: His love story with Rita
Ned: Wanted him to buy life insurance, and at first, he was
normal and didn’t
Nancy: The girl who he seduced, and found out information
about her to his advantage.
Who he saved: the little boy on the tree, the man who was
choking, the two old ladies in the car who got a flat tire,
He learns piano and ice sculpting
His weatherman career
His and Larry’s friendship
Subtext
He didn’t want to go to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Irony: Phil’s name means “lover”, but in the beginning
through the mid-plot, we were able to see that he was
clearly not a lover, rather a man without feelings for
others. His name also has other ironical connections such
as him having the same name as the groundhog.
Of all the ideas packed into this odd little movie, the heart is
probably in Phil and Ralph's dialogue: On some level we're all 1) "stuck" in one place, 2) each day is very much
the same, and 3) nothing that we do matters. Phil's
experience is not unique; we're all in Groundhog Day.
Characterization
Phil- Phil is a very pessimistic man who only cares about
himself. He is very narcissitic and only sticks to his beliefs.
However, later in the story, he becomes more aware of his
attitude and he alters it to become a better person since he
is stuck in the same day every single day. He soon
becomes more optimistic and finds happiness in his life.
Rita- Rita is a very outgoing and genuine person where Phil
loves Rita deeply. Rita is a stepping stone in the movie
because she is the only reason Phil is becoming a better
person. Rita is a very crucial character in this movie
because the whole movie revolves around her especially
Phil. She is a very down-to-earth person, very loving and
affectionate, cares about everyone, and she even cares
about Phil even with his pessimistic attitude.
Characterization cont).
Larry- Larry is a kind cameraman who is actually pretty kind
and nice. But because Phil is such a jerk towards him, he
resents Phil. However, he begins to have different thoughts
about Phil because Phil becomes a more affectionate
person and he treats Larry nice.
Ned- Ned is a life insurance employee that always bugs Phil
nonstop until Phil finally purchases life insurance for all
cases.
Nancy- Nancy is a very outgoing type of gal and she is very
naïve because Phil lies to her just to sleep with her. Phil
takes advantage of his repetition of days so he can get laid.
Characterization cont).
Homeless Man- The homeless man is a very significant
character in the movie because Phil tries to save this man
in every single occasion. Phil fed him, took him to the
doctor, gave him a good meal, gave him CPR, and did
everything for him, but the man always died on that day.
Groundhog- The groundhog is the “weatherman” in
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. If this animal sees if it’s
sunny outside then it will go back into its burrow and it
will predict that there will be six more weeks of winter.
This is the stepping stone in Phil’s life because he will
accept that winter will never end, and he will begin to love
winter.
Point of View
 The whole movie based on the point of
view of Phil.
 The film's perspective is primarily visionary
and emotional.
 This whole movie was based on Subjective
narration, where it causes a the audience to
see what feel was feeling and the lesson his
life was trying to teach.
Metaphor &
Metonymy/Symbolism
 Alarm Clock: tells us that the day is repeating
itself again, and we know everything’s going to be
the same again, from the dialogue of people to
everything that’s going to happen.
 When Phil kisses Rita: foretells us that tomorrow
isn’t going to be the same anymore, it’s like the
key that broke the curse that was placed on Phil to
be stuck in a time loop. That’s why the little tingly
‘magic’ sound plays when they kiss.
3 Important Scenes
1. The scene where Phil always tries to save
the homeless man in every way possible,
but the homeless man ends up dying.
(25:38)
2. When Phil kisses Rita near the end of the
scene with the magical “ting” sound.
(1:36:00)
3. Every morning at 6:00 a.m. the alarm
clock turns on with the radio with the song
“I Got You Baby.”
Setting
 The setting is Punxsutawney, a town in Pennsylvania
known for its annual ceremony in which a groundhog
predicts how much longer winter will last.
 Everyday in the movie is the same day, same people,
and same clothes.
 Each day starts exactly at 6:00 am.
 Each day Phil would go out to the Groundhog ceremony,
except during the days he would try to cheat around the
system and do others things but fail to do so.
 The diner is the very important place where Phil would
meet up with his film crew and where he would talk to
Rita alone everyday.
Dialogue/Quotes
 “What if there’s no tomorrow? There wasn’t one today.” – Phil
 One of his two inebriated companions then points to a beer glass and
sums up the way he is responding to his situation: "You know, some
guys would look at this glass and they would say, you know, 'that glass
is half empty'. Other guys say 'that glass is half full'. I bet you is (or I
peg you as) a 'the glass is half empty' kind of guy. Am I right?“
 When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark
and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the
cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and
basking in the of warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn't imagine
a better fate than a long and lustrous winter.“
Parallelism
*The alarm clock!
-How each time each day begins, this familiar image,
what is constantly repeated throughout the movie is the
same as in the alarm goes off with the song, the radio
hosts talk, and it always is 6:00 AM
-It changes though in shifts of angles
-At first, the zoom was far away from the clock,
inferring the unimportance of it (or so we think)
-The zoomed in and close ups of the clock = a tone of
"oh this is happening again?!"; how important and
dramatic it has become
-Even when Phil broke the clock a few times, we can
convey his frustrated attitude towards it and his situation
Causal, Spatial, & Temporal
 Causal
 1). “Adolescence”- went on a rampage and ran from police
 2). “Sympathy”- the old bum
 3). “His love for Rita”- made him a better person in general
 Spatial & Temporal
 “stuck in the same time”
Range & Depth
Range- to what extent we know (in the film)
-The audience knows mostly as much as Phil gains from
each repeating day
-Each day, we learn that Phil gains knowledge from his
surroundings
-Moreover, the structure of the film focuses our (the
audience's) attention on what really happens
Depth- how much we know about the film
-we know more than the characters in the film b/c we
know what is going to happen and why just like Phil
Motif
Alarm clock: shows the alarm clock multiple times, but they are all in different scenes, where
you can see different angles of the alarm clocks. In the beginning you cannot really see much
of a difference in the times you see it, but around the fifth time Groundhog Day occurs in
Phil’s life, he gets frustrated at just looking at the alarm clock, and there are camera angles
where it zooms into the alarm clock. This shows his frustration and later, how he was
motivated to actually make an attempt and do better this day- better than the one before.
Along with it, there was the daily broadcast and music that played every time it started.
Although it was the same throughout, the way that he reacted was different, and it caused him
to look out the window with disgust.
Another repeating motif in groundhog day was the old man. The old man also emphasized the
theme of living each day to it’s maximum potential. Since that man died on Groundhog Day,
Phil tried everything he could to help him stay alive. There is a quote where the nurse says
“Everybody dies some day” and he responds with “Not today”. And he spends multiple days
with him, feeding him, helping him, etc. Doing this, also showed Phil changing as a person,
because he was actually being nicer to someone rather than his usual “jerk-like”
characteristics.
His conversations with Rita was also repeated, in each one, he found out more about her, using
it to his advantage of making his knowledge expand and then he would want to make her fall
more in love with her.
Motivation
 In the movie, the main character, Phil Connors is trapped
in a recurring day, a freezing February day in
Punxsutawney. The town never changes; the events and
the people never change. Only Phil can change.
 It is impossible for Phil to have any control over the
external world. Every morning he wakes up and it’s the
same day again. He is compelled to find how best to
survive and prosper, and decide if this is a curse or
maybe a blessing.
Motivation

Through the brilliance of this plot we can observe Phil as he deals with
his unique predicament. We can see how he struggles to find meaning
and purpose in his life. Each day he experiments with new thoughts
and behaviors and he learns what works and what does not work.
Any change that occurs must be inside of him because only he
can change, all the other characters repeat exactly what they did the
day before.

This shines an intense light on Phil’s ability to change himself. As he
struggles through all his flawed strategies based on selfishness,
manipulation and instant gratification we learn how empty they really
are. Over countless days he learns that what pleasures he thought
would make him happy have failed to, and he has to accept that his
old self has completely run out of steam.
Motivation
 He is forced to place all his attention on changing the
way he interprets the world, on his personal reality, as
his external reality is fixed. Once he accepts he is truly
stuck, possibly forever, he has nowhere else to go and
begins to rebuild his personal reality by changing
his attitudes, values, thoughts and feelings. He
literally recreates himself by focusing all his attention on
inner change, on becoming a more mature, loving and
giving person.
Motivation
 He transforms his thoughts and this transforms every
part of his life. His journey proves that inner change
is the key to our personal growth and happiness.
Phil literally transforms the worst day of his life into
his best day, and the only thing that changes is his
thinking and his actions.
 The genius of the time loop means that there are no
other variables that could be responsible for the
change. The only changes in the town occur
because he has changed.
Themes/Tropes
 Whether you see a glass that is half empty or half
full shows if you are optimistic or a pessimistic
person. Phil sees the glass as half empty which
basically represents his whole life, and he is
trapped in Groundhog Day until he totally changes
his whole lifestyle into a positive and outgoing
person.
Themes/Tropes
 If you never change your negative attitudes, then
you will never be successful in life and everyone
will hate you. Phil was isolated throughout his life
and he always wanted to be alone because he hated
people. When you are in deep denial or depression,
there will be a time to accept that fact and to
become a more compassionate/loving person.
Is it a good story?
 YES!
 Why?
 It’s truthful (has verisimilitude)
 If we were able to be “stuck in time”, anyone would
most likely take advantage of the situation just like Phil
 Also, anyone would eventually want to get out of the
time loop
Meaning
1. Emotional
-It is visceral, for we anticipate suspense of what Phil will do next, for he is an unpredicatble, round character
-In ways, the film is vicarious, for we feel for Phil at time
-We get annoyed (like Phil) how the days never continue or change; we feel his pity everytime he gets slapped by
Rita, etc.
-The film has some verisimilitude, for that Phil's situation can happen to anyone
ex. lovestruck, a scrooge, generous, suicidal
-Yet, the days never supernaturally stay on the same date
2. Referential
-Scrooge from A Christmas Carol
-Buddha
-Jesus
3. Explicit
-How a jerk turned kind-hearted
-How nothing will change, unless/until you change first
4. Implicit
-live life with a handful of other alternatives --> you never know what will happen next
5. Symptomatic (ideology)
-Traditional: A small town doesn't mean you can live a big life
Intent/Message
 The message in this movie is to tell that some people may
think that in life, not knowing what’s going to happen next
is somewhat scary and bad. However, knowing exactly
what’s going to happen is worst.
 Another message this movies gives us is somewhat like
the golden rule- You should treat others the same way you
want them to treat you.
 The human nature of Phil Connors changes as each day
progresses. His human nature changes throughout the
movie. Phil also had a hard time developing good
reationships with other people. That’s when he becomes
aware of the situation he’s in.
Other comments/thoughts
 42 days in the movie
 Director’s cut says actually 30-40 years
 The movie was actually filmed in
Woodstock, Illinois.
 This movie is somewhat based on Buddhist
ideals.
 In Greek, “Phil” means love, which makes
the movie ironic
 “Glass is half empty or half full?”