"What if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today."
I've been in a funk for the last little while. It's a combination of a whole bunch of things: uncertainty about the future, tired of winter, a state of meloncholy that hasn't been terrible, but at the same time has cast a shadow over everything else. Once your mind gets into that kind of state, it's sometimes hard to crawl back out.
Tonight I saw a movie that I, embarrassingly, hadn't seen before. I ordered Groundhog Day back at the beginning of February (for obvious reasons), but hadn't got around to watching it until tonight. I really enjoy Bill Murray for the most part, but he is in his share of stinkers sometimes. Groundhog Day isn't one of them. It's a film, which I knew to have a good reputation, but I wasn't prepared for how good it was.
It's not the greatest film ever. I'm not going to say it's perfect. But it's a profound movie at the same time. Bill Murray is a self-centred weatherman sent to Puxawtawny, PA to cover the Groundhog Day celebrations, and subsequently ends up reliving the same day over and over and over. Throughout his experiences he learns about himself, and humanity and how to love. It may sound cliché, but really, what would you do if you had to live the same day for the rest of eternity?
Bill Murry gives one of the best performances of his career. He pulls of the character transformations amazingly, going from jerk to enlightenment over the hour and half. It's not sentimental, but rather more thoughful.
Anyway, it's amazing what an effect a little movie can have on one's outlook. I'm not going to say that I'm all smiles and sunshine now, but the movie made me look at life from a different perspective, and sometimes thats enough to make one's day.
In the film, Bill Murray wakes up to the same song ("I've Got You, Babe") on the radio morning after morning. Right now I'm voluntarily listening to that Regina Spektor song over and over again. Ewan is right.
3 Comments:
First saw "Groundhog Day" in Edmonton at a multiplex on a church youth trip to the inner city. I was 10 or 11 (did it come out in '92 or '93?). Was standing in line behind none other than Henry "Gizmo" Williams. Noticed the incredibly large Grey Cup ring on his finger... He went to some lame action movie.
Great movie.
I was obsessed with this idea from "Groundhog Day" for a long time. I would sit and think about all the things that I would do differently in a day if I got a chance to relive it 4 or 5 times; what I would say, how I would act etc etc. Once you start gearing your head in that direction its hard to stop, your mind can come up with some bizarre scenarios. Although, if that did happen eventually I think it would turn into a sort of living hell (think about it, there is a period in the movie where Bill Murray commmits suicide like 10 days in a row)
"10 days in a row"? More? One of the hard things to figure out is how long Phil is stuck in the cycle. Judging from his comments when he teaches her the card trick ("six months"), as well as all the other things he learns, I gather he was stuck for years. Still I know what you mean, it's a fascinating idea for a story, and really is done well.
Post a Comment
<< Home