Groundhog Day

If you are after a comedy that actually makes you laugh out loud, Groundhog Day is available in Australia on Amazon Prime Video and Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel, and in the US on Philo and AMC right now. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 8,982 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Bill Murray sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Amazon Prime Video.

There is a reason Groundhog Day keeps coming up in conversation. Groundhog Day does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. A cynical TV weatherman, along with his idealistic producer and his sardonic cameraman, is sent to report on Groundhog Day in the small town of Punxsutawney, where he finds himself repeating the same day over and over. The chemistry Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell bring to it does a lot of the heavy lifting. Groundhog Day came out in 1993. The timing in Groundhog Day is precise enough that even the throwaway lines land on a second watch. It rarely drops the ball, and when it does, it recovers fast.

If you need a comedy that actually makes you laugh, Groundhog Day is a strong candidate. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Bill Murray is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.