Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #871 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-02-18
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French, Italian
• Subtitled in: Norwegian, Finnish, Icelandic, Portuguese, Hungarian, Italian, French, German, Turkish, Arabic, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Danish, Dutch, English, Hebrew, Spanish, Hindi, Bulgarian, Polish, Swedish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 106 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Decent, lighthearted and fully amusing slapstick is hard to come by these days, and 1993's Groundhog Day manages to also be genuinely wise about the human condition. All this and belly laughs too! Bill Murray stars as Phil, a bored, petulant news reporter, who is ordered to give his annual live report from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on February 2. Though desperate to get out of the one-horse town and the appallingly sentimental assignment, Phil finds himself reliving the same day over and over again until he finally mends his ways. The film takes an absurd situation and explores its every imaginable comic possibility. Because none of the other characters are aware that Groundhog Day is continually repeating itself, Phil goes through a repertoire of responses, from conniving lust for Rita (Andie MacDowell) to gleeful nihilism to a Zen resignation worthy of Buster Keaton. Murray is reliably good, and this flick gives him a chance to be warm (though never fuzzy).

Amazon.co.uk Review
Bill Murray does warmth in Groundhog Day, a romantic fantasy about a wacky weatherman forced to relive one strange day over and over again, until he gets it right. Snowed in during a road-trip expedition to watch the famous groundhog encounter his shadow, Murray falls into a time warp that is never explained but pays off so richly that it doesn't need to be. Director Harold Ramis (who co-starred with Murray in Ghostbusters) takes an absurd situation and explores its every imaginable comic possibility. The elaborate loop-the-loop plot structure cooked up by screenwriter Danny Rubin is crystal-clear every step of the way, but it is Murray's world-class reactive timing that makes the jokes explode, and we end up looking forward to each new variation. Because none of the other characters are aware that Groundhog Day is continually repeating itself, Murray goes through a repertoire of responses, from conniving lust for Rita (Andie MacDowell) to gleeful nihilism to a Zen resignation worthy of Buster Keaton. Groundhog Day manages the rare feat of producing belly laughs in abundance and also being genuinely wise about the human condition. --David Chute, Amazon.com

On the DVD: the disc presents the movie in a 1.85:1 ratio and with Dolby surround sound. There are trailers for Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters and Multiplicity, along with filmographies for Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Andie McDowell and Chris Elliot. This remastered edition also comes with an extended documentary "The Weight of Time", which offers insights into the "European"-style script and production difficulties, but is a little over-lavish in its praise of the actors on set. Thought-provokingly, the documentary also touches upon the spiritual nature of the movie and what it has meant to an audience beyond being a simple comedy. Also included here is a director’s commentary by Ramis which, although informative, has too many long breaks and would surely have benefited from the addition of Bill Murray to the conversation. --Nikki Disney

Special Features
Wide Screen
DVD 9
English
Region 2

Customer Reviews

A modern classic - feel good rom com
This is one of those films you can watch over and over again and still enjoy - somewhat like the main character (Bill Murray) re-living that one day in his life until he gets it right. Knowing how things turn out doesn't detract from the fun.
There's an element of wish fulfillment in there - who wouldn't want to relive some part of their life over and over until they got it right? but the cast are so engaging, the writing so good and the story so entertaining that it's hard to fault.
Probably Bill Murray's greatest film role (and maybe Andi Macdowell's too - although she was good in Four Weddings and a Funeral, if that's your kind of film).
Recommended.

"It's Groundhog Day! Again......"
Every now and again you see a movie that acts as the perfect vehicle for an actor. In Groundhog Day we see Bill Murray's. The movie is replete with fine performances from the man ably supported by the likes of Chris Elliott and Andie Macdowell, but the film is Bill's and his alone.

The story is basically what would you do if you could repeat the same day over and over again? What would it do to you? Would you turn it to your advantage? Or What? Bill Murray as TV Weatherman Phil Connors is stuck in a loop forever repeating "Groundhog Day" the day he meets Punxsutawney Phil the weather sensing Groundhog. Connors goes from surprised bafflement at the repeating of the day though euphoria, depression and then sublime acceptance. The movie at no time even dares to explain why he's repeating the day, and in my opinion had it done so it would have spoiled the film - Groundhog Day focuses on Phil Connors and the story of the man.

I loved this movie and I watch it again and again and again......

A VERY FUNNY AND ORIGINAL FANTASY/COMEDY...
This is without a doubt, one of Bill Murray's best films. It is both a fantasy and a comedy flick. The basic premise of the film is simple. A man is forced to relive the same twenty four hours, over, and over, and over again, ad infinitum.

Bill Murray is that man. An obnoxious Pittsburgh weatherman, he is in Punxutawney, Pennsylvania to cover its Groundhog Day celebration, along with his beautiful and altruistic TV producer, played by Andie MacDowell, and his patient, long suffering cameraman, played by Chris Elliot. Murray, playing an uncaring, unfeeling wretch of a guy, is, for some inexplicable reason, forced to relive the same twenty four hours in Punxutawney over and over again. Why? Who knows and who cares? What follows next are some of the funniest moments in film.

At first, Murray is confused. No one else, however, seems to be. As Murray continues to relive the same day, confusion turns to anger. Ultimately, that anger turns to mischievousness and indulgence. After all, what would one do, if there were no consequences to one's actions?

This premise provides for quite a few, very funny scenes. This puckish foray quickly denigrates into profound despair, as Murray realizes that he seems destined to relive the same day forever. Frequent, subsequent suicide attempts fail to stop the clock, and Murray rethinks his position. He concentrates, finally, on becoming the best man that he can be, with the lovely Andie MacDowell as his romantic interest.

Murray's transition from smarm to charm provides for many hilarious scenes that will leave the viewer howling with laughter. The ultimate impact of his transition from Neanderthal man to Renaissance man is, needless to say, a positive one. This redemption will ultimately prove to be Murray's salvation.

Murray provides droll, comedic delivery, and he is perfect in this role. Andie MacDowell is the perfect straight man and comedic foil. Together they make this movie one that the viewer will want to see again and again.