Mastery and Repetition in “Groundhog Day” (1993)

When egotistical weatherman Phil Connors gets trapped in a time loop in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, he gets drunk, steals money, manipulates women, binges on breakfast food, plays God… and finally grows up. The story charts Phil’s development over the course of thousands of repeated February 2nds. Along the way, it raises questions about our own capacity for growth. How do we go about improving ourselves? How can we escape boredom? Achieve fulfillment? Wes and Erin analyze the 1993 film Groundhog Day.

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Thanks to Jeff Mitchel for allowing us to repurpose his poster for the cover art.

Thanks to Tyler Hislop for the audio editing on this episode.