Beautifully constructed film that does three things nearly perfectly: entertains, enthrals, and enlightens.
The script is a million miles away from the A->Z scripts so often found in romantic comedies, and the turns taken keep you guessing, and you realise you’re seeing something akin to growing wisdom with more and more experience.
When forced to live the same day over and over and over, we get Murray (beautifully playing his part) as the cynical weather reporter caught in a never ending loop of time. During this time, he gets depressed, bored, angry in turns, being even more nasty to those around him, or using this unique circumstance to find out about the people he has to interact with, and try and exploit this knowledge (to seduce women, for example). In fact, sometimes it may appear he is actually in some sort of hell of his own making.
Gradually he learns to accept what his happening, and tries to help people – but sometimes even this proves impossible (he helps an old tramp, spends some time with him, but before the day’s out, the old fellow dies anyway).
He gradually stops doing superficial stuff, and starts to actually do something positive with all this time on his hands, and tries to use it in a less superficial or selfish way. He learns the piano for example after being charmed by a piano piece playing on the radio, and uses this new skill to entertain at a party. He takes time to help people, (stopping a kid hurting or even killing himself for example) knowing it’s pointless anyway as the next day it all starts again. (how long is all this? 10 years? 100 years? 10,000 years?). Through all this, he comes to understand himself better, and release and enjoy the nice side of himself, falling in love (not just lust) with the leading lady.
A great story, great script and perfect comedy acting all rolled up. It’s one of those films that transcends grouping – not just a comedy, not just a drama, not just a romance, and it works well on every level.