Our pick for this episode is not your usual, bog standard time travel psychological horror... but then again, maybe it is? Today we are doing GROUNDHOG DAY, the 1993 romantic comedy directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. A sleeper of a mindfuck, Groundhog Day warmed hearts and tickled funny bones when it debuted early in the Clinton era, but by the 21st century it had come to be recognized for its theological significance—and then YouTube got hold of it, and the rest is history. Today, we discuss: whether it's a proper mindfuck; how long Phil actually spends in the time loop; connections to Buddhism, Catholicism and Judaism; its relationship to Camus, Sisyphus and existentialism; its place in the comedy pantheon; plus: is Ned Ryerson actually the devil?

Episode links:

Groundhog Day on IMDb
Groundhog Day on Wikipedia
Roger Ebert 2005 review
NYT on Groundhog Day's religious themes
National Review cover story on Groundhog Day
Mental Floss roundup of popular interpretations
Film School Rejects: DVD commentary highlights
IFC: How long does Phil spend in the time loop?
ShortList: Is Ned Ryerson the Devil?
Original Reddit Ryerson-as-Devil post
Den of Geek on the original Danny Rubin script
Michael Faust essay for Philosophy Now
NPR on the philosophy of Groundhog Day
Empire ranks it as top all-time comedy
Fan edit: Every Day in One Day
Fan edit: How Rita Experienced Groundhog Day
TV Tropes discussion about "we'll rent to start"
Edge of Tomorrow on Wikipedia
Russian Doll on Wikipedia
Friday Black on Wikipedia

Show links:

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