Groundhog Day Theme Analysis – screenplay and film What I love about the opening of Groundhog Day, and one of the reasons that it works so well for me, is that the team of Danny Rubin/Harold Ramis gets straight to the theme of the film. In Hitchcockian fashion, they come right out and tell the audience: “Here it is”. Slug Line (script – p.1): INT. TV STUDIO – SAME TIME Scene Description: Phil continues pointing out features on the blank wall, but from a new angle we can see that he’s looking at a monitor out of the corner of his eye which shows the chromakey insert he’s pointing to – a national weather map. Dialogue (film time: 0:56 – 1:17 = CAPS are mine): PHIL CONNERS: SOMEBODY ASKED ME TODAY, “PHIL, IF YOU COULD BE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE?” And I said to him. “PROBABLY RIGHT HERE – Elko, Nevada, our nation’s high at 79 today.” Out in California, they’re gonna have some warm weather tomorrow, gang wars, and some “very” overpriced real estate. Up in the Pacific Northwest, as you can see, they’re gonna have some very, very tall trees. There it is – the very first line, spoken by the narcissistic, cranky Protagonist, who’s “stuck” in mid-market Pittsburgh, when he firmly believes that he’s “the next Willard Scott”, and should be in New York. Now jump to the end of the film. Phil’s in Punxsutawney, PA, population 6,782. He’s there willingly – he’s actually delighted to be there. He’s happy. He’s in love. He has come to the point where he can face his inner self and answer that initial thematic question. Phil has found compassion on his journey, and he has found gratitude. Script (p.120): Rita and Phil walk down Main Street hand in hand. Film time – Dialogue @ 1:33:34: Phil: It’s so beautiful. Let’s live here. Our screenwriting professor is always stressing this question: “Why does this story have to happen to this character (Protagonist) at this time?” The answer for Phil Conners is that this story changed his life. John Agerholm

Re: introduction of theme with the 1st line of dialogue in the film. In the immortal words of Ned, the insurance salesman: "Bingo!" Another moment where a theme is introduced. It's the 31st minute of the movie (it's not in the screenplay) where Phil is drinking with the 2 blue collar workers at the boowling alley. One of them, Gus, points to the beer glass he's drinking and says:"You know, some guys would look at this glass and they would say 'That glass is half empty.' Other guys owuld say, 'That glass is half full.' I peg you as a 'glass is half empty' kind of guy..." This plants an important life lessons Phil needs to learn in Act 2. Every crisis is a problem (half empty) and an opportunity (half full). At this point in the movie, Phil is only focousing at the problem in his situation; he needs to focus on the opportunity.

Theme of this movie? Love will set you free.