Over and over and over again...

The lowly groundhog, often called a woodchuck in America, is the only mammal to have a day named in his honor. The groundhog's day is February 2. How did the groundhog come by this honor? It stems from the ancient belief that hibernating creatures were able to predict the arrival of springtime by their emergence.The German immigrants known as Pennsylvania Dutch brought the tradition to America in the 18th century. They had once regarded the badger as the winter-spring barometer. But the job was reassigned to the groundhog after importing their Candlemas traditions to the U.S. Candlemas commemorates the ritual purification of Mary, 40 days after the birth of Jesus.Candlemas is one of the four "cross-quarters" of the year, occurring half way between the first day of winter and the first day of spring. Traditionally, it was believed that if Candlemas was sunny, the remaining six weeks of winter would be stormy and cold. But if it rained or snowed on Candlemas, the rest of the winter would be mild. If an animal "sees its shadow," it must be sunny, so more wintry weather is predicted:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,

Winter has another flight.

If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,

Winter will not come again.

The groundhog and badger were not the only animals that have been used to predict spring. Other Europeans used the bear or hedgehog--but in any case the honor belonged to a creature that hibernated. Its emergence symbolized the imminent arrival of spring.Traditionally, the groundhog is supposed to awaken on February 2, Groundhog Day, and come up out of his burrow. If he sees his shadow, he will return to the burrow for six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, he remains outside and starts his year, because he knows that spring has arrived early.In the U.S., the “official” groundhog is kept in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Every February 2, amid a raucous celebration early in the morning, “Punxsutawney Phil” as the groundhog is called, is pulled from his den by his keepers, who are dressed in tuxedos. Phil then whispers his weather prediction into the ear of his keeper, who then announces it to the anxiously-awaiting crowd.Residents contend that the groundhog has never been wrong.The ceremony in Punxsutawney was held in secret until 1966, and only Phil's prediction was revealed to the public. Since then, Phil's fearless forecast has been a national media event.The groundhog comes out of his electrically heated burrow, looks for his shadow and utters his prediction to a Groundhog Club representative in "groundhogese." The representative then translates the prediction for the general public.If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, it means spring is just around the corner.Approximately 90% of the time, Phil sees his shadow.Phil started making predictions in 1887 and has become an American institution.
Which brings me to the reason why i wrote this post.Groundhog day has been one of my all time favourite movies.A ''romantic comedy'' with a brilliant plot, and some tight performances by Bill Murray and Andie Macdowell. On Groundhog day, Phil(Bill Murray), a TV weatherman with an ego bigger than a wide screen TV could hold, is forced against his will to report on location the prognostications of Punxatawney Phil. He kind of likes his producer, Rita (Andie MacDowell) but is too superficial to even acknowledge his feeling other than to throw crass pick-up lines at her. She is sophisticated confident and compassionate. He is everything she hates in a man.
He suffers through the day not even trying to hide his contempt for having to do such a menial task. Then, contrary to his prediction, a snow storm moves in and he and the crew are stuck in Punxatawney overnight, cut off from the world.
When his room alarm goes off at 6:00am the next morning, he is surprised to hear the D.J. doing the exact same routine they did the day before. Then he sees 100's of people heading for the center of town and asks what's going on. He soon realizes it's Groundhog day again. Everything that happened happens again. People speak the same sentences word for word. And when they get snowed in again, he starts to panic.
6:00am the next day, same thing. But this time he is expecting what will happen and he reacts differently. It seems he can change things if he wants to. As the days go on, he decides to have some fun. He foils an obnoxious old school mate, he seduces a pretty young girl, he robs an armored truck, all by just knowing ahead of time what people will say or do.
How long can you do this kind of thing without getting tired of it? There is no sign telling what to do to get out of this endless loop. There is no indication that he even CAN get out. His mood turns to despair. He goes drinking and meets a few perpetual drunks who accidentally impart some wisdom. "What" Phil asks "if there was no tomorrow?". Ralph (Rick Overton) says that then nothing would matter. Phil takes that as a sign and goes on a wild car ride on a railroad track, towards an oncoming train! He kills himself!
6:00am. Not a mark on him. He kills himself over and over. He can't even escape in death!
It finally dawns on him that maybe whatever caused this wants him to be a better person. He has all the time in the world so, he learns to play piano. He makes sure each day that he is there to catch a boy falling from a tree. He meets a man with a back problem and learns enough medicine to help him. He becomes, in what seems to the town to be a single day, a good, kind, helpful, talented and popular person.
How much time has passed isn't revealed but it could be years for him. And he's still stuck. But now that he's a better person, he realizes how much he likes Rita and he realizes that now he may actually have a shot.
He asks her out and fails. But again he has forever. Every time he makes a mistake, he learns what to say or not say the next time. He learns a few lines of her favorite poem and what foods she likes. He gets to a point where he has manipulated her to the point that she is finally willing to go to bed with him. This then is his test.
Watching Bill Murray and his trademark brand of goofy lines and silly witticisms stumble through all these situations gives a great deal of expected humor. Murray rarely disappoints, but now it's time for the romance. This is Andie MacDowell's strong suit and she was a perfect choice for this role. You feel for her more than for him. You want HIM to do the right thing because you want HER to be happy.
Taken as a light comedy, this movie would rate perhaps eight stars out of ten. But it's much, much more than just a light comedy. It is, in fact, utterly unique. The character of Phil Connors, played by Bill Murray, is, quite literally, a man without a future.
What do we gain from watching this movie? Different people will take away different things from it. I discovered two insights in Groundhog Day.
One was the importance of concentrating on the things that last. Phil Connors must live the same day over and over again, and is forced to realize that the only real change that will ever be possible must happen within himself. (From this it is a short leap to the realization that this is the only kind of change that really matters; for in his case, it is literally true.) It is at this point that he takes up piano, begins reading, learns to ice-sculpt. But if it weren't for his unique predicament, he never would have realized this; in his routine at the TV studio back in Pittsburgh, we surmise, there was always something changing...and not changing. (It is interesting that Phil is a weatherman: the weather is a perfect metaphor for something that changes constantly...without, in the long term, changing at all.) We can be distracted by the superficial changes in the world around us, and forget that real change in our lives must come from within. This was the great gift of Groundhog Day for Phil Connors: the chance to discover this truth for himself.
The other thing I noticed, while reflecting on this movie, is how uncertainty can keep us from charitable acts. We use our ignorance like a crutch: we don't give to charity because it may be a scam, we don't offer to help someone because they may not need help anyway, and so on. But Phil doesn't have the luxury of ignorance. He knows...he knows with absolute certainty that if he doesn't buy the old man a bowl of soup, that man will die in the streets within a few hours. He knows that if he isn't on hand at the right time, a boy will fall from a tree and break his neck. Faced with such knowledge, even Phil, self-absorbed as he is, cannot stand by idly. Nor could we, in his position. This is a powerful argument for knowledge as the most reliable foundation for altruistic behavior. What other movie can offer an insight half as profound?
Many more truths can be mined from this movie. As others have said, this is a thought experiment that went very well indeed--better than most flicks I've seen on the Big Screen. As such, I'd vote for it as one of the most underrated movies ever made.