Groundhog Day, And Four More Years Of Trump’s Shadow
We’re stuck. Every day we wake up to a new nightmare. Since his inauguration, President Trump has wasted no time in signed executive orders into action to prohibit freedoms and rights, and taken every opportunity to spread fear and dispersion on the press, and the truth itself. How do we combat living in this real-life Idiocracy? As a film geek, I look up to Indiana Jones and Captain America for punching Nazis. But when Biff Tannen has become president, how do you stop him without an actual time machine? Where’s the movie that shows the average joe trapped in a world beyond his control? What do you do when you’re stuck in one place, and every day is exactly the same, and nothing you do ever matters?
We are Phil Connors, and the Trump presidency is our Groundhog Day loop. The 1993 Harold Ramis film depicts weatherman Phil Connors (played to perfection by Bill Murray,) trapped in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, forced to relive the same day over and over and over again. This time loop comes without explanation; there is no magic spell or witch’s curse, there are no rules to follow, no mysteries to solve. Phil is left clueless, helpless, and alone in his struggle.
But isolation is nothing new to Phil - even before being caught in the loop, he excels in alienating his colleagues, and detests the general public, “People are morons.” Phil lives in a bubble, only concerned with what’s directly relevant to him, to the point where he doesn’t even recognize his high school classmate Ned “the head” Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky.) He places himself above others, and it’s this self-centeredness that prevents him from seeing a blizzard coming. He ignores all the warning signs, mirroring our own overconfidence in Clinton’s victory. It’s in this flaw that I see myself, and see the polarization between people of the United States. Do we fail to recognize our fellow citizens, the same way Phil doesn’t remember Ned?
When disaster strikes and Phil is convinced the future will never come, he lives for instant gratification. He breaks laws, eats with reckless abandon, and manipulates women for sex. When none of this brings him happiness, Phil relentlessly pursues his producer Rita (Andie MacDowell.) On what must be the 20th iteration of their date, he learns to drink to world peace to impress Rita. But this is still Phil living for himself. He does and says the “correct” things to get what he wants. The same way he half-heartedly checks for spare change when passing the bum, he’s only feigning the bare minimum to be a decent person. Like so many slaps in the face, this superficial concern for others fails time and time again. Like myself and so many others before the election, Phil doesn’t realize you have to DO good to be good.
It isn’t until Phil starts living for other people that he finds satisfaction; a purpose. It starts small, bringing coffee and pastries for his co-workers. He chases that feeling to help others, including so many residents of the small town he once loathed. After a few dozen tires changed and countless Heimlich maneuvers, Phil starts to look inward. Only now does he follow the psychiatrist’s advice dispensed earlier in the film: working to get better one day a time. (Or to refer to another Bill Murray classic, “baby steps”.) He dedicates time to self-improvement; taking piano lessons, learning to ice-sculpt, studying to be a doctor. By changing himself, Phil’s able to change he response to people around him, including Rita, who now gravitate toward Phil as a sense of warmth and positivity.
Suddenly, there is a shift in the storytelling. We have our first scene completely devoid of Phil, firmly planted in Larry (Chris Elliott) and Rita’s point view. The structure of the movie itself denotes Phil’s complete transformation. He has transcended the self and has become one with the community - leaving Rita and Larry as the de facto outsiders. No longer concerned with whether or not he can escape the loop, Phil uses his time to focus on small, everyday kindnesses for the people of Punxsutawney. His dedication inspires Rita and others, and it’s only then that Phil creates real change in the world… and wakes up on February 3rd.
Groundhog Day has long been lauded as a film depicting the path to enlightenment, and part of that fact is how Phil Connors accepts that there are things that he can’t change. No matter what he does, he can’t save the bum from the cold grip of death. We would be wise to learn that losses are inevitable, but that shouldn’t stop us from taking every step to protect and preserve every single human life. When faced with an impossible reality, it’s our perseverance that sees us through. The time loop granted Phil the chance to address the problems he’s always had, and break out of his bubble. Trump is our own Sonny & Cher style wake up call. It’s not enough to do nothing and assume goodness. We’re stuck here for four years, maybe longer. How many tires can you change in that time? How many meals can you give to the hungry? Like so many kids falling from trees, there will be thankless efforts, but unless we break outside of our own bubbles of self-interest and participate in our community, we’ll keep waking to the same tune. So put your little hand in mine, there ain’t no hill or mountain we can’t climb.
Thank you for reading my blog. If you enjoyed this article, please consider the small kindness of reblogging or sharing it on social media. If you want to see more of my stuff, here’s some links below:
For more movie writing, here’s my review of Swiss Army Man
For more film analysis, here’s my podcast TomHanksgiving
For more time travel fun, here’s my video on the futility of New Years Resolutions.
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