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Groundhog Day

EMAILPRINTColumbia Pictures

Groundhog Day reviews
72
9.7 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 14 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 18 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy

Written by: Danny Rubin (also story)
Harold Ramis

Directed by: Harold Ramis

Release Date:
Theatrical: February 12, 1993
DVD: January 29, 2002

Running Time: 101 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG-13

Starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle-Murray, Marita Geraghty, and Rick Ducommun

Teamed with a relentlessly cheerful producer (MacDowell) and a smart-aleck cameraman (Elliott), TV weatherman Phil Connors (Murray) is sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities. But on his way out of town, Phil is caught in a giant blizzard, which he failed to predict, and finds himself stuck in small-town hell. Just when things couldn't get worse, they get worse; Phil wakes the next morning to find it's Groundhog Day all over again... and again... and again. (Sony)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90

Washington Post Hal Hinson

For once, the audience isn't forced to surrender its intelligence (or its healthy cynicism) to embrace the film's sunny resolution.

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90

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

A hilarious and unexpectedly profound comedy.

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88

ReelViews James Berardinelli

This movie has all the qualities necessary to be a crowd-pleaser: likable characters, charismatic performers, a strong, capably-executed premise, and lots of laughs.

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80

Time Richard Corliss

[Murray] has the natural actor's charm of making manners matter. He carries Groundhog Day with his uniquely frittery nonchalance and makes the movie a comic time warp anyone should be happy to get stuck in. [15 Feb 1993, p.63]

80

The New Republic Stanley Kauffmann

Murray, more often than not, is pretty unbearable; but here, playing a man who is unbearable, Murray begins convincingly, amusingly, and gets even more amusing as he metamorphoses. [15 Mar 1993, p.24]

80

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

That glimmer of recognition is what makes Groundhog Day a particularly witty and resonant comedy, even when its jokes are more apt to prompt gentle giggles than rolling in the aisles.

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75

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A demonstration of the way time can sometimes give us a break.

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70

TV Guide Staff (Not Credited)

Seeing it once is fine, but seeing it every day for the rest of your life is not recommended.

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67

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The funniest moments in Groundhog Day come when Phil takes sneaky advantage of his predicament-by, say, pumping a sexy woman in the local coffee shop for facts about her past and then, ''the next day,'' using the information to lure her into bed. What the movie lacks is the ingenious, lapidary comic structure that could have made these moments fuse into something tricky and wild.

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67

Austin Chronicle Louis Black

There were a lot of ways for this film to go stupid; it succumbs to none of them.

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63

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Dial your expectations to moderate, burrow in for the duration, and you won't be disappointed - it ain't exactly springtime, but there are worse things than an amiable outing on a winter's night.

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60

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Considering that none of the characters is fresh or interesting, it's a commendable achievement that the quality of the storytelling alone keeps the movie watchable and likable.

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60

Variety Staff (Not Credited)

The film is inconsistent in tone and pace; fortunately the pay-off works, bringing some much needed warmth to the area.

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60

Washington Post Desson Thomson

With its zany daily episodes, "Groundhog" gets stuck in a non-progressive repetition.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 9.7 (out of 10) based on 18 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jim T gave it a10:
Bill Murray carries the day(s) and is really charming. Is charming a bad thing? Oh, no. We really root for this smarmy guy and the characters around him, and really care about how things turn out. One of Murray's best performances, a great screenplay, and a delight of a movie.

Sophie gave it a10:
A comedy classic with soul and heart and a very interesting idea. Bill Murray is amazing in this, as is Andie MacDowell. I can't count how many times I've watched this movie!

anfromotei C. gave it a10:
Possibly the best movie of the 1970s. It obviously was a big step from the old fashion way of 14.5 frames per second and it could have been much better. However, more then 10 people have rated this review, i mean movie, to be on the high side of the scoring system. Therefore it would make a great addition to your 60s collection... because it would be at a higher frame rate of course!

Sam T. gave it a10:
the best film of all time, a classic in every way possible, amazing acting and the whole shabang.

Benjamin E. gave it an8:
A wonderful movie, it really makes you think about the strange and abnormal.

John N. gave it a10:
Already a classic after just 10 years since its release.

Vikram M. gave it a 10:
I own this on DVD and the first time I saw it, I didn't really find it funny. It was a good movie, it just wasn't funny. The second time I saw it, I was rolling in laughter. Great movie, Bill Murray is at his best! Just for the record on the DVD box, the movie said, it was PG, not PG-13. Great concept and great moral, or at least the way I saw it, as live a day like there is no tomorrow.

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