In a fine ecumenical fashion Groundhog Day manages to be a crowd pleaser for both those heading to a church on Sundays and for those heading to the Buddhist temple on....well, I guess I don't know what day they do their thing on.

Groundhog Day allows us to spend some time with weatherman Mr. Phil Conners (Bill Murray) as he relives (surprise) Groundhog Day over and over until he figures life out and/or until the writers ran out of ways for Phil to use up his time. Throw in Andie McDowell and we have a love story on our hands.

Anyway, Buddhists enjoy the movie, because the guy has to live the same day over a thousand times until he gets it right. Buddhist believe that you'll have to repeat this life as many times as necessary until you can move from a woodchuck to a...well, I don't know what the highest level is. ...not much of an advertisement for the way of the Buddha, am I?

However, I do know a little about Christianity. Christians like this movie because it shows a guy who is stuck in a rut until he finally realizes that enjoying life is all about serving other people. If you're just trying to make yourself happy, you end up suicidal or just plain bored.

It's really not as preachy as I'm making it out to be. In fact it's a pretty easy going movie considering some of its topics; suicide and death pop their heads in a couple times as Phil looks for ways to entertain himself. And, it's fairly fast paced, which makes it one that you can pop in at the end of the day and happily lose an hour or two with. Bill Murray's great, Andie McDowell is great, and the groundhog puts on a high caliber performance.

So, you've got three actors at the top of their game as well as a little dab of philosophy. And, because of all this, you also have yourself a fine little flick.

Some may argue about my "fine little flick" statement. Some may claim annoyance at the repetitiveness of Phil living the same day over 100 times...but, some people just need to be ignored.

Groundhog Day is a classic in Bill Murray's repertoire and I highly recommend it.

Rise and shine, campers, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooold out there today.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older