Fantasy is a versatile film genre. Starting off with great ambitions, it manages to conjure up incredible scenarios and wondrous characters. It’s the perfect way to experience situations larger than life itself. But these kinds of films don’t always revolve around magical elves and distant kingdoms; they can also be about abnormal circumstances faced by ordinary people. This is the situation Phil Connors finds himself in Groundhog Day.
Directed by Harold Ramis in 1993, this movie explores profound issues not usually looked at in the genre. You could think a fantasy film only displays fairy tale settings and extravagant characters, without exploring transcendental themes. That’s not the case here. This film goes beyond traditional morality tales that confront good and evil and simple fables that feature talking animals. That being so, in addition to being very accessible, it allows the audience to make conjectures about the actions they perform in their daily lives. That being the case, one of the themes the film examines is moral philosophy and, although Groundhog Day was produced at the end of the 20th century, its main reference point is a philosopher who lived many centuries before: Aristotle. Among all the anachronistic teachings of this Greek thinker, the film analyzes what could easily be the purest and most elegant of all: the theory of virtue.
Phil (Bill Murray) is a grumpy, egocentric weatherman. He only cares about himself and never thinks beyond the next day’s downpour. One day he is forced to cover Groundhog Day, traditionally celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Grumbling, he travels from Pittsburgh to the small village and sleeps there for one night before the festival begins. After covering the event, he leaves for the metropolis accompanied by his television crew. However, Phil’s earlier weather forecast fails: a sudden snowstorm is coming, which blocks the way back to Pittsburgh. The protagonist must return with his tail between his legs to the place he hates so much. What could go wrong?
The next morning is very peculiar: Groundhog Day repeats in a time loop. Phil soon realizes there seems to be no escape. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t get out of this endless cycle. Frustrated and confused, the protagonist must find a way to leave this hell on earth. But as time goes by, Phil will realize that this repetitive and strenuous situation is not as dreadful as it seems. In fact, he’s beginning to understand how beautiful life is.
The film is extremely eloquent, as it manages to propose complex ideas with grace and ease, so much so that these questions go beyond the screen and penetrate deep into the spectator’s soul. But how does it pull it off?
It all starts with the protagonist’s character arc. At first, Phil is a prideful, arrogant, self-centered person. He treats his crew as if they are beneath him, trying to one-up them in every conversation and encounter. Phil thinks he is way smarter than everyone he meets and talks brashly to them. No one in their right mind would want to live near him. But as soon as the spell of time falls on him, his life becomes torture. He has been forced to deviate from his plans (as traditional temporality has changed shape), finding himself bewildered in such a boring place. Since his actions have no consequences, Phil takes advantage of the mess he’s in. However, he soon realizes that falling into hedonistic practices will not free him from his torment. In fact, Rita, his producer, exemplifies this moral problem with a poem by Sir Walter Scott:
“The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonored, and unsung.”
Phil notices that he is acting for the wrong reasons and learns that taking advantage of the situation is not the answer. Thus, the protagonist begins to go beyond immediate satisfaction and rethinks the way he treats the people around him. Phil begins to talk eloquently, does random acts of kindness and helps strangers overcome their daily difficulties. He inflates flat tires, saves kids from physical injuries and makes people feel happy. This transition takes Phil through every human feeling possible. Sometimes he feels satisfaction, other times frustration. He may feel hopeless one day, but the next one he could turn cheerful. Going from the deepest nihilism to the most extreme optimism in a matter of hours, Phil endures a long time not knowing what to do with his monotonous immortality. He even contemplates suicide. He dies in every possible way, although he always gets up without a scratch in the same place.
There comes a point when Phil’s character changes completely and he begins to search for the significance of eternal life through other means. He’s starting to read and get cultured. Having the doors open to unlimited learning and without worries or fear of death, the protagonist is no longer paralyzed in existential matters. In fact, he’s beginning to blossom as a human being. Through trial and error, Phil exercises his qualities and improves the lives of all the inhabitants of the town he once detested. That being so, as the days repeat themselves relentlessly, Phil is becoming a virtuous person.
For the Greek thinker Aristotle, virtue can be understood as a kind of ‘practical wisdom’ that develops from habit. By repeating good actions, sooner or later, we condition ourselves to perform them more naturally. They become an inseparable part of our character so that acts of kindness are expected to manifest themselves by inertia whenever necessary. He who is virtuous (in the Aristotelian sense) will always know what to say and do no matter what the situation. According to this philosopher, we should all aspire to be virtuous: it is part of our nature. That being the case, deep down in our souls, we have the desire to improve as people. But what is ‘good’?
For Aristotle, good is always the middle point between two extremes (also called ‘vices’). This being so, these opposite poles are excess and deficiency. Between them is the ideal state of moderation, known as the golden mean. This middle ground is what the virtuous person seeks to accomplish in the proper way, at the proper time, and in the proper amount. This eagerness is present at all moments that require moral evaluation.
What is right and just depends on the situation in question, but the virtuous person is always expected to act predictably in it. For example, someone who possesses this level of moral competence will know the perfect point between pride and self-loathing, recklessness and cowardice, and so on. Hence, virtue is a robust set of characteristics and skills that constitute a way of life. However, there is always something new to learn and a greater state of ‘perfection’ is constantly being pursued, thus seeking happiness, success, and self-fulfillment.
So how does this moral philosophy relate to Groundhog Day? Simple: Phil is the perfect representation of Aristotelian virtue. The protagonist of the film embodies the figure we all want to become. Phil has been through emotional ups and downs. However, thanks to his dedication to cultivating morally good habits during his repetitive confinement in Punxsutawney, he manages to hone his character perfectly. At the end of the film, he’s a happy person. And when it gets to this point, the spell of time is broken. The day on a loop comes to an end and, just like that, we realize something: Phil learned his lesson, as he has now mastered the art of living. Here, the movie’s plot gives way to what would arguably be one of the broadest character arcs in the history of cinema.
Why should we follow the example of the protagonist? As the conclusion of the film shows, Phil has reached the pinnacle of humanity. Aristotle calls this goal Eudaimonia. This concept refers to the tranquility that is proper to a life well-lived, as flourished as it is transcendent. It is precisely this happiness, this last existential frontier, that all human beings should aspire to achieve. It’s the joy of sleeping peacefully and contentedly. It’s being aware that every day you fought to be the best possible version of yourself.
These metaphysical relationships with the ordeals of everyday life make up the essence of reality as we know it. They also set up the moral evaluations we confront every time we watch a movie. And it’s precisely this ethical ambiguity between good and evil that elevates cinema to such great artistic status. Movies have the power to transcend the physical medium. They invite us to question our own moral compass, the very same that guides us in every decision we make. This is why films like Groundhog Day have such universal messages about the human condition, as it raises ideas that resonate with the substance at the core of our own souls.
We never know when death will come knocking at our door. However, there is one thing we can be sure of: each new day is a blank page. And while we experience every moment that life gives us, good or bad, we can learn more about how to be better people. Though we are merely flesh and blood and the challenge to improve is ever-present, we do not require as much time as Phil had, for we are practically in the same position as he was. One day is more than enough for us to go out there and give the best of ourselves to the world. There isn’t an excuse for not trying.
