It requires a leap of faith by the audience to buy such a bizarre concept: a man is trapped in a time loop that makes him repeat the same day over and over again. It's never explained in any detail why, but that never bothered the likes of Capra or films such as Big.
What sells this shtick is having the impossibly dry Bill Murray as the protagonist. His hangdog face and cynical attitude are that of a man who can barely make it through any given day, let alone the same one repeated endlessly. Murray uses the day selfishly, as anyone would, doing and eating whatever he wants. When he tires of this, suicide seems the only escape – but, despite numerous attempts, he always wakes up the next/same day.
It takes a comedian with Murray's unusual skills to sell what, on paper, sounds like a very dark tale. It's always funny, from his daily tackling with old acquaintance Ned Ryerson, to his learning to speak French and making ice sculptures to win the heart of Rita (Andie MacDowell). It's a film that works to earn its emotional payoffs and one that shows, if you live it often enough, a day can make a real difference.
