The Film
"Well, it's Groundhog Day… again."
(Note: We thought about posting this review yesterday, but today somehow seemed more appropriate.)
Although Bill Murray is best known and most often quoted for his work in Caddyshack, Stripes and Ghostbusters, his performance as patronizing and sarcastic meteorologist Phil Connors is arguably his finest achievement to date. Unlike those other films, where Murray was but one of several main characters, he's on-screen for virtually every second of Groundhog Day's 101-minute run time. Consequently, the film's success is entirely dependent on his performance. Thankfully, this is Bill Murray we're talking about and Groundhog Day is absolutely hilarious.
The Picture
As directed by Harold Ramis (Caddyshack), Groundhog Day has a simple and straightforward look with much of the film taking place outdoors in the quaint little town of Punxsutawney. (Or so they would have us believe – the bulk of the picture was actually filmed in Woodstock, IL. Go figure.) Sony presents the film on Blu-ray Disc using its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and it's a respectable treatment for this catalog classic. Although the image is a bit soft and lacks dimensionality, colors and skin tones are quite natural and picture detail is much improved compared to previous DVD incarnations. This isn't the disc to break out when showing off your new HDTV, but it's definitely the best the film has looked thus far.
The Sound
Like its video, Groundhog Day's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack is perfectly respectable but it's also nothing to write home about. In the end, this front-heavy mix lives or dies by its ability to deliver Bill Murray's laugh-out-loud dialogue: "Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today!" Thankfully, the track gets full marks in this department. Dialogue is intelligible and well anchored in the front sound stage. Surround activity is minimal and bass is virtually non-existent, but that's hardly surprising with a film like this.
The Extras
Although 2009 marks sixteen years since the film's debut, Sony has re-purposed last year's "15th Anniversary Edition" DVD packaging for this Blu-ray release. Although that seems a bit lame and the cover art is downright hideous, this disc is not without its share of positives. For starters, the disc is BD LIVE-enabled, so you're all set if and when online content decides to present itself. You'll also find a new BonusView trivia track entitled "Needle Nose Ned's Picture-in-Picture Track." It's not great, but it's nice to see some effort was made to improve upon the DVD. The most enjoyable extra is a brief but recent sit-down with Ramis entitled "A Different Day: An Interview with Harold Ramis." Ramis is an extremely likeable guy and his interview does a wonderful job of hitting the salient points as he explains why Groundhog Day has withstood the test of time so well. And in a pleasant surprise, Sony presents this segment in high definition.
Final Thoughts
Part fable, part romantic comedy and part existential analysis of that which is truly important in life, Groundhog Day has and means something different for everyone. And the more you watch it, the funnier it gets. Arguably Bill Murray's finest hour (and change), Groundhog Day is a modern day classic if ever there was one. If you already own the DVD, it's hard to call this new Blu-ray edition a must-have upgrade. However, if you don't already own it, I can't recommend this one highly enough.
Where to Buy
Product Details
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