January 28, 2010 6:44 PM
Groundhog Day February 2
For the past 16 years, February 2 has been one of our family's favorite holidays. No, we've never been to Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney or seen old Punxsutawney Phil - the groundhog with the all-important shadow - in person.
I keep promising we'll do it next year. This year I'm spending time with moms at St. Theresa's in Ashburn. But maybe 2011? If any of my readers go, please send us a firsthand account.
Punxsutawnians have been celebrating Groundhog Day since 1886. We started celebrating in 1994 when we fell in love with the movie Groundhog Day
If you've never seen this hilarious film, you really need to. And if you've seen it before, you probably need to see it again. Its positive message, catchy soundtrack, and laugh-out-loud humor have made it one of our yearly family rituals.
To see what reviewers thought, check it out at rottentomatoes.com, where Groundhog Day, rated PG (back before PG was sleaze galore), racked up a very impressive 96%.
Groundhog Day is the story of a small-potatoes Pennsylvania weatherman named Phil - yeah, like the groundhog - played by Bill Murray. With his unfulfilled dreams of hitting the big time, Phil is a jaded, caustic narcissist, disgusted with his Groundhog Day assignment - traveling for the third year in a row to cover the events in Punxsutawney. With him are his radiant new producer Rita (Andie MacDowell) and nebbishy cameraman Larry (Chris Elliott).
Phil's contempt for everything and everyone around him are almost palpable. He can't wait to wrap the show and get out of Hicksville. But a blizzard keeps them from getting out of town.
The next day Phil wakes up to the same tune playing on the radio (Sonny and Cher's 'I Got You, Babe"), the same morning anchor chitchat. He looks out the window and sees the same snowless scene he saw the day before.
And so begins Phil's nightmare, trapped in an endless repetition of Groundhog Day, though he's the only one who knows. Phil journeys through disbelief, frustration, opportunism, suicidal despair (and even that's funny) before he realizes that he is the one responsible for his misery. His liberation comes when he finally decides to make the most of every moment by caring for others, and in so doing begins to make himself a better man and the world a better place.
But just because it has a decent story line, don't think it won't be one of the funniest movies you ever saw.
Posted in Holidays, Humor, Movies | Permalink
Comments
Groundhog Day is also my husband's birthday (he has a certificate from Punxsutawney Phil welcoming him to the club), so it's kind of a big deal in our house. We LOVE the movie too!
Posted by: Erin | January 29, 2010 7:22 AM
Barbara, thank you for posting the teaching sources. I'm a newbie, I've only been following you for about 6 months and haven't been able to read ALL of your archives. Thanks again!
Posted by: april | January 29, 2010 8:01 AM
My family is from Punxy. Many of them still live in or around there. My Grandparents owned a pizza shop in downtown Punxy for many years. I've been to Punxy many times but not for Groundhog Day.
Posted by: Alison | January 29, 2010 9:26 AM
Thanks for the review! My family will definitley check this out this year. Can't believe we've never seen it before. Netflix has it on their "instant play" list so we're all set!
Posted by: Amy | January 30, 2010 3:34 PM
Love the movie and even made a pilgrimage to Punxy in August 1998 when we lived in Pennsylvania on a traveling assignment. We traveled 5 hours one way, just spent the day and had a great time! Would love to be there Feb 2 someday.
There is a GREAT book for kids (although it is one of my favorites as an adult!) called Go to Sleep, Groundhog! by Judy Cox. The groundhog goes to sleep on Columbus Day, sets his alarm for Groundhog day, but has trouble sleeping and gets up to see things he's never seen before. He wanders out of his burrow for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas with favorite characters from those seasons returning him home, tucking him into bed and reading him a story! The illustrations are wonderful and it the story is so cute. If anyone is a fan of Groundhog Day, they'll love this book! The amazon link is: http://www.amazon.com/Go-Sleep-Groundhog-Judy-Cox/dp/082341874X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265000364&sr=8-1
Posted by: Kathy | February 1, 2010 12:37 AM
I did my montessori training in a small town called Woodstock IL at Crystal Lake Montessori School. Woodstock happens to be the town they actually filmed Groundhog's Day and it is apparent everywhere you go! Walking around the town square will show you the Pennsylvanian Hotel (they're opera house), former diner, movie theatre and their are plaques everywhere to signify scenes like "Ned's corner" "Bill Murray stepped here" for the pothole location. A quick walk from the square will bring you to the bed and breakfast where an outstanding couple bought it and just turned it into a real bed and breakfast. Every Groundhog's Day they reenact the movie setup with their very own Woodstock Willie as the Groundhog and occasionally you'll see actors like Ned or location scouts who decided to film their and they will take you on a tour of all the shoots. Now that's a pilgrimage any fan should take.
Posted by: peter | February 20, 2012 2:17 PM
