The review
- What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?
- That about sums it up for me.
This is the main question the movie revolves around. Phil Connors, the main characters, wakes up in the same place, at the same time, and the consequences of the days before are voided. Every day. It can be seen as a metaphor of life. We are stuck in our routines, always doing the same things, without realizing that months, years, and then decades, are suddenly gone.
But Harold Ramis, the director and writer of the movie, is suggesting an alternative. Although every day always looks the same, it’s possible to make our life different, by trying to improve ourselves error after error, day after day. And so, Phil Connors, by learning to play piano, making beautiful ice sculptures, and helping the citizens of the town he is stuck in to avoid deadly incidents, shows us how beautiful “just another random day” might look like, if we try to live it intentionally and with care towards ourselves and the others.
A good movie with a clear and strong message behind it, that can show how Comedy and Drama can live up together.
7/10
P.s. This is my first review. It’s far from being insightful, but somewhere we have to start. In order to improve my writing, I will collect for the next movie reviews some paragraphs from other reviews I’ve found online, if anything interesting. Moreover, Deliberative practice to writing is a very important approach to improve the style. I’ll use an alternative to the one suggested here by Cal Newport, by asking LLMs to adjust and improve my writing. You can find prompts and answers below.
Deliberative Practice to writing
Prompt:
If you could give me 1 advice about how to improve the review, what it would look like?
Answer:
A single, impactful way to strengthen your review is to highlight one or two specific moments in the movie that illustrate your main point (e.g., a scene where Phil realizes his potential to change), and explain how those moments made you feel or think. By providing a brief, concrete example and reflecting on its emotional or thematic impact, you’ll give your readers a clearer sense of why the film’s message resonated with you and why it might resonate with them.
Prompt:
if you have seen Groundhog Day, could you improve my review, based on your feedback?
Answer:
“What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing you did mattered?” That’s the question at the heart of Groundhog Day. Phil Connors, a smug weatherman, finds himself trapped in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, forced to relive the same day over and over. Initially, he experiments with self-indulgent pranks—like stealing money from an armored truck—revealing the movie’s comedic edge. But the real power of the film lies in Phil’s gradual transformation.
One of the film’s most touching sequences involves Phil’s repeated attempts to save a homeless man’s life. No matter what he tries, he can’t change the outcome. This moment emphasizes the film’s deeper contemplation on mortality, empathy, and the limits of our control—even when time seems infinite. Harold Ramis’s direction brilliantly strikes an emotional chord here, reminding us that while routines can feel suffocating, the way we respond to them can still be meaningful.
Through small shifts—learning piano, sculpting ice, and helping others in need—Phil’s daily “reset” highlights the possibility of continual self-improvement. Groundhog Day ultimately suggests that even if our days look the same, our choices and attitude shape what each day can become. It’s an enduring mix of comedy and drama that leaves you with a powerful, uplifting message about seizing every moment.
Learning Points
- Be more precise in the description of characters. Phil Connors is more than just the “main character”. He is cynical, cold, uninterested of his jobs. And this details are important to the evolution of the movie, because he will grow-up, and become a better version of himself.
- Extract more references from the movie. I’ve only talked about the plot. Supporting my thesis with extra description of the key scenes, makes the arguments stronger and easier to understand. If you haven’t seen the movie, you wouldn’t fully understand why I’m claiming these facts.