Reliving the same day for more than ten years is the kind of thing that can give you a new outlook on life. That's definitely the case for Phil Connors, who goes through several transformations while living through Groundhog Day.
By the end, he has become a much more moral person. But that's only because he has gained a lot of knowledge and wisdom along the way. At first, Phil only gains a superficial knowledge of the people around him. But by the end of the movie he learns to truly care about these people and to help them in whatever way he can.
Questions about Wisdom and Knowledge
- How has Phil become wiser by the end of the movie? What's our evidence for this change?
- What kinds of skills does Phil pick up while reliving Groundhog Day? How long do you think it would take him to develop them like he does?
- How is wisdom different from just changing your behavior? Why do we tend to think of wisdom as something more substantial than knowledge? How does Phil's case reflect this difference?
Chew on This
Groundhog Day shows us that there is a really big difference between knowledge about the world and wisdom about how we should use that knowledge.
Groundhog Day shows us that people will like us more if we develop a lot of cool skills like piano playing and ice sculpting.