Groundhog Day - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Groundhog Day: 25th Anniversary



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie

Ahhh, Harold Ramis. The star of Ghostbusters, As Good as it Gets, and director of such films as National Lampoon’s Vacation and Caddyshack. The man has given us countless films to enjoy over the years, but one that seems to have slipped through the cracks for most people is Groundhog Day. It was never his best film, but it is a fun little flick that happened to star his buddy and collaborator, Billy Murray (back when Bill Murray was actually funny and not obsessed with indie dramas). Co-writing the film with Danny Rubin, Ramis asked the question “What happens if you had to relive the day over and over again till the end of time?”. It was a simple question, and it has been done in a modified format over the years (pretty much any “you’re stuck in this situation till you learn your lesson” story uses this trope), but the inclusion of Billy Murray at the height of his career, and Andie MacDowell’s adorkableness made it a charming film even though some of the subtext is hard to realize on screen.

Phil Conners (Billy Murray) is a bitter and jaded weatherman who really doesn’t enjoy much of life. He’s a bit of an egotist and he finds it beneath him to have to go out to the little podunk town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where he has to report on the yearly tradition of watching the groundhog come out and see his own shadow. It’s a bit of a hokey gig, but Phil has been doing it for 3 years in a row and the jaded weatherman is about up to here with it. However, there’s a bit of a change this year. Not only is his cameraman Larry (Chris Elliott) going with them, but a new producer on the network named Rita (MacDowell) is accompanying the duo as well. Things go exactly as Phil expected, with a boring report on a stupid tradition, but it’s only when the trio attempt to leave Punxsutawney that things get hinky. A freak blizzard (that naturally the weatherman didn’t see coming) snows them in the town. Going to bed that night Phil grumbles about his bad luck, only to wake up with worse luck. It’s groundhog day again, and again, and again, and again as the same day with the same incidents keep replaying on a loop for the poor guy.

As the repeated days go by Phil tries everything. Initially he tries to have a bit of fun with the situation (which includes a car chase with the local police and lots of booze), but soon the veneer wears off and the boring reality of the situation sinks in. After many many of these days Phil starts to realize the futility of his efforts. He’s been able to get women, money, have tons of fun, but this is just NEVER going to end. Especially when he starts to fall for Rita, but he has to live with the nightmare of him remembering everything about their encounters, but Rita waking up without any memory of even a shared kiss. Finally a sense of catharsis and self searching comes over the man, and Phil decides that he needs to MAKE something of himself in this life. The self serving nature that he has harbored all these years starts to slip away as the repetition forces him to meet these “plebians” over and over and over again to the point that they mean something to him. Something that very few people have ever meant to the jaded man.

Groundhog Day is a simple film at heart. It’s a story about a scrooge type character who has to be faced with his own flaws in order to overcome them. Instead of Christmas ghosts coming to guide him through the journey, Phil is stuck in the same place so much that this single repeating day is the equivalent of a mirror being thrust in front of him. He has to face his demons and change his life for the better, WITHOUT the carrot of freedom dangling in front of him. Bill Murray was on top of the world back in the late 80s and early 90s, but this was one of the first time he was asked to play a “serious” comedic role, and he does so rather well. The deadpan jokes and sarcastic wit are still there for every Murray fan to revel in, but it’s nowhere near as slapstick as other Ramis directed films like Caddyshack. Macdowell is your adorable independent woman that is the love interest, and even Harold Ramis makes a fun little cameo as the Neurologist in the hospital. One cameo that really stood out (because I could barely recognize him) was a 19 year old Michael Shannon, who plays the groom for the young newlywed (I couldn’t recognize that infamous voice even, it was mostly the jaw line that gave it away).




Rating:

Rated PG for some thematic elements




Video:

The 15th Anniversary edition of Groundhog Day on Blu-ray was supposedly struck from a new HD master from back then, but Sony has gone back and given the film the treatment it deserves by giving it a NEW 4K master for this new UHD release. Now, before you get all disappointed in the fact that this is ONLY a 4/5 rating, remember that 15th Anniversary Blu-ray. The Blu-ray had mediocre picture quality (I rated it a 3.5/5 back in 2009) by a decade old standards, with pasty skin tones and mediocre colors. The image was fairly flat and suffered from a very smoothed look that was unappealing. It was a ok for a catalog title of the times, but it was nothing special. This new 4K UHD disc looks quite a bit better than the original, and while most of the increases are subtle in nature, they all add up to a very pleasing looking film from Sony. Groundhog Day has always been a grainy film, and that grain texture is preserved on the new disc with wonderful results. The film is organic and textured, but never obtrusive with said grain (except that opening shot which has always looked overly grainy). Colors are warmer and more natural with the use of HDR, and skin tones actually look pink for once! The whole image doesn’t look like a massive upgrade at first, but A/B between the two discs and you’ll notice a sharper looking image, with background objects showing off a lot of nuance that just wasn’t able to have been seen before. It’s not a night and day transfer, but all of those little increases make for a a very natural looking and worthy upgrade from the 15th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray.





Audio:

I was actually a little surprised when I saw that Sony had given Groundhog Day an upgrade to Dolby Atmos from the 5.1 TrueHD track of 9 years ago. Not because I begrudge them for giving us next gen audio, but that this was just not a film that really seems to scream “360 degree immersion!”, if you know what I mean. In fact, it’s a bit of an overkill move in reality. The move from 5.1 to Atmos (or 7.1 really, since the overheards are almost never used) IS an upgrade, as the back end of the room opens up just a little bit with those extras channels. Dialog is the main focus of the film and that pushes a majority of the work to the front of the room, but George Fenton’s early 90s soft rock score is what gives the surrounds a bit of a workout. Background noises in the diner or the B&B add some rear end oomph, but as I said. The majority of the film is in the front of the room with score filling out the surrounds. Overheads got one ore two moments think of when Phil is trying to kill himself with the truck or throw himself off of the building), but for most of the movie they’re noticeably silent. LFE is fairly reserved, coming in as accompaniment to the score as well as to amplify the low end of the car chase, and explosion.





Extras:

• Deleted Scenes
• Audio Commentary with Director Harold Ramis
• Needle Nose Ned's Picture in Picture track
• The Study of Groundhogs: A Real Life Look at Marmots
• A Different Day: An Interview with Harold Ramis
• The Weight of Time Documentary

Final Score: ​

Harold Ramis’s Groundhog Day isn’t one of his most popular films, but it is a sweet and entertaining comedy from the 90s that is still a blast to watch, even today. Billy Murray was on top of his game back then, and Andie MacDowell is cute as a button. I can’t say that the movie ever is anything more than good old cinematic comfort food, but the lighthearted affair does exactly what it set out to do. Entertain people with an adorable comedy. The 25th Anniversary Edition doesn’t give us any new extras (the same ones that are on the 15th Anniversary Blu-ray), but the bump up to 4K and Atmos in the audio/video scores are a welcome relief for disappointed fans of the Blu-ray, and make it an easy buy (be warned this IS a Best Buy exclusive for the time being).




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Andie MacDowell, Bill Murray, Chris Elliott
Directed by: Harold Ramis
Written by: Harold Ramis, Danny Rubin
Aspect Ratio: 2.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), French, Spanish Dolby Surround
Studio: Sony
Rated: PG
Runtime: 101 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: January 23rd, 2018

Recommendation: Good Buy

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed this movie when it came out long time ago.. Will have to revisit it soon.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Harold Ramis was a genius. One of my favorites... great review Mike.

 

[Michael Scott]

Caddyshack is easily my #1 film from him, and I watch it about as much as I do Super Troopers every year

 

[Todd Anderson]

Right there with you, Mike. Caddyshack is one of my all-time top 5 favorites!

 

[Asere]

I am ashamed to say I've never seen this movie. I have seen parts here an there when flipping channels but that's about it. My wife can't believe that I have never seen it.

 

[Michael Scott]

I am ashamed to say I've never seen this movie. I have seen parts here an there when flipping channels but that's about it. My wife can't believe that I have never seen it.

well, that gives you the excuse to pick up the new 4K version (at least that's how I'd justify it to myself)

 

[Asere]

well, that gives you the excuse to pick up the new 4K version (at least that's how I'd justify it to myself)

Yup, that is exactly what I have in mind

 

[Todd Anderson]

I am ashamed to say I've never seen this movie. I have seen parts here an there when flipping channels but that's about it. My wife can't believe that I have never seen it.

I'm just glad that you've admitted the truth, largely because it relieves me of my filmiatic transgressions. ;-)