Groundhog Day

Also from the Frank Family Collection:

Groundhog Day

This is so completely watchable that it should just about always rank a spot in our video stash. Bill Murray is a wonderful comedian, and one of my personal all-time favorites. And Andie McDowell is, as is her wont, a sweet, good-natured, sensitive lady. Chris Elliot rounds out the main cast as his usual goofball self, and does a fine job of it.

So Bill Murray is a weatherman, sent against his will on the obligatory journey to Punxatawny, PA, to cover the festivites on Groundhog Day. He spends the night, does his duty, gets stuck in Punxatawny due to a blizzard closing the roads, and wakes up the next morning ... on Groundhog Day. Like deja vu all over again. And again. And again. And again. And again.

Without getting into spoilers, Groundhog Day is a wonderful look at people, and change, and giving up, and trying again, and trying to get it right, and all of those things that go into being human. With a not-so-oppressive feel-good ending as well.

What's not to like? Bill Murray goes through a few "days" of chasing skirts, treating women cheaply and seemingly getting away with it. Of course, he tries it with Andie McDowell, and gets positively nowhere, which is good. And there's also some alcohol consumption and a light-hearted treatment of Bill with a couple of drunks. None of which makes Bill happy in the least. (Thanks, Hollywood.)

Overall, we give it two Frank thumbs way, way up!