We've survived January's crapapalooza and can now move on to some quality films.
What better way to start than one of my top favorite movies OF ALL TIME. In honor of February 2, this week's movie is Groundhog Day, one of the great PHILosophical comedies in cinematic history.
I could spend this entire entry discussing the quality of the comedic aspects of the film or Murray's spot-on performance as a self-centered weatherman, or the ridiculous quotability factor of the film...but I'm not going to. Instead, I'd much rather talk about the philosophical questions raised by the premise. What would happen if a man was forced to live the same day over and over again for ten years?
The movie portrays the progression most human beings would undergo if they were in the same situation. First you'd be freaked, then you'd become a power-hungry, self-absorbed megalomaniac, then you'd think you were a god and become an immoral sociopath, murdering and stealing and raping at will (they don't cover that stage of the progression too in-depth in the film, then you'd grow tired of the whole thing and try to kill yourself, and finally you'd become a benevolent caretaker to all the inhabitants of your tiny universe/prison.
The final act, although not as entertaining as the second, is by far the most interesting from a philosophical standpoint. Although Phil seems to learn the importance of being kind to others, I think he is at his most immoral at the end of the film because he's come to believe that he is a god. He doesn't help the citizens of Puxatawny because he wants to help them, he helps them because he feels responsible for them. They exist in HIS world and it is his duty to ensure nothing bad happens to any of them. In reality, that last day when he assists nearly everyone in town is his MOST selfish act.
Man, a movie that creates this sort of philosophical conversation MUST be good. Watch it, bitches!
Why It's Awesome: Perhaps the deepest comedy of all time...and, from a screenwriter's point of view, one of the best written scripts of the 90's.
Best Quote:
Phil: Do I have to use the word 'poopie'?
What better way to start than one of my top favorite movies OF ALL TIME. In honor of February 2, this week's movie is Groundhog Day, one of the great PHILosophical comedies in cinematic history.
I could spend this entire entry discussing the quality of the comedic aspects of the film or Murray's spot-on performance as a self-centered weatherman, or the ridiculous quotability factor of the film...but I'm not going to. Instead, I'd much rather talk about the philosophical questions raised by the premise. What would happen if a man was forced to live the same day over and over again for ten years?
The movie portrays the progression most human beings would undergo if they were in the same situation. First you'd be freaked, then you'd become a power-hungry, self-absorbed megalomaniac, then you'd think you were a god and become an immoral sociopath, murdering and stealing and raping at will (they don't cover that stage of the progression too in-depth in the film, then you'd grow tired of the whole thing and try to kill yourself, and finally you'd become a benevolent caretaker to all the inhabitants of your tiny universe/prison.
The final act, although not as entertaining as the second, is by far the most interesting from a philosophical standpoint. Although Phil seems to learn the importance of being kind to others, I think he is at his most immoral at the end of the film because he's come to believe that he is a god. He doesn't help the citizens of Puxatawny because he wants to help them, he helps them because he feels responsible for them. They exist in HIS world and it is his duty to ensure nothing bad happens to any of them. In reality, that last day when he assists nearly everyone in town is his MOST selfish act.
Man, a movie that creates this sort of philosophical conversation MUST be good. Watch it, bitches!
Why It's Awesome: Perhaps the deepest comedy of all time...and, from a screenwriter's point of view, one of the best written scripts of the 90's.
Best Quote:
Phil: Do I have to use the word 'poopie'?
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