Time is probably the most obvious theme you'll find in Groundhog Day, since the entire plot of the movie is based on some sort of freaky disturbance in the space/time continuum.
Director Harold Ramis shows us that when we tweak our normal sense of time, we can end up with a completely different perspective on how we go about living each day of our lives. Many of us just plow through life trying to achieve our long-term goals and we never take a moment to stop and look around at the people living with us in the present. The point of this movie is to get us to think a little differently about what we do with our time… and hopefully it'll inspire us to make some changes for the better.
Questions about Time
- How long do you think Phil Connors is trapped in Groundhog Day? Why?
- How long do you think you'd live the same day over and over before you truly learned to live only in the present? Why?
- Do you think this movie gives a realistic portrayal of what a jerk like Phil Connors would do if he lived the same day over and over for ten years or so? Why?
Chew on This
Groundhog Day teaches us that our entire outlook on life is determined by the way we take time for granted.
Groundhog Day has a simple message; we should live every day like it's our last.