Why Did Bill Murray Repeat His GROUNDHOG DAY in the Movie?

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Groundhog Day is my favorite Bill Murray movie, hands down. There are certain movies that I can just put on and play over-and-over - Groundhog Day is one of them. Murray plays newscaster Phil Connors, who is forced to live the same day over and over again, until he finally starts living his life the right way. Up until now, we have not had any clue as to why Connors had to repeat Groundhog Day.

Voiceover artist and ’80s character actor Eddie Deezen wrote an in-depth article on this very subject at Neatorama via /Film:

The second draft of Groundhog Day says, actually, it was caused by Phil’s scorned ex-girlfriend Stephanie. The second draft of Groundhog Day is pretty close to what we all see in the film. There is a bit more of Phil in the studio at the beginning, but nothing major. But also in the second draft, Stephanie, Phil’s ex-girlfriend, puts a curse on him. Literally, she opens a book of magic spells and does a little ritual that causes him to get stuck in time.

Near the beginning of this script, we meet Phil’s girlfriend, Stephanie, who Phil coldly and unceremoniously dumps. Later, as Phil is going to bed in Punxsutawney, we see Stephanie in her room, using Phil’s business cards and broken watch (conveniently set at 5:59) to perform a magic spell from a book titled 101 Curses, Spells, and Enchantments You Can Do At Home. This sets the theme of Groundhog Day in motion. There is no “higher purpose” given, just an angry, embittered ex-girlfriend with a little book.

For more inside information about the film, including how long Connors was actually stuck re-living that day (10,000 years), head over to Neatorama. I am glad that I am not the only one who loves this movie. What are your thoughts? Do you think that Groundhog Day is worth obsessing over?

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