Groundhog Day Synopsis A weatherman is reluctantly sent to cover a story about a weather forecasting "rat" (as he calls it). This is his fourth year on the story, and he makes no effort to hide his frustration. On awaking the 'following' day he discovers that it's Groundhog Day again, and again, and again. First he uses this to his advantage, then comes the realization that he is doomed to spend the rest of eternity in the same place, seeing the same people do the same thing EVERY day.   The Message  Theme: We must choose which path to take, not sit at the crossroads. God Point: We face choices every day. While some are much more serious than others, they all serve to map out the course of our lives. Every choice we make falls into two simple categories-God's way or our way. Christians don't have the luxury of being ambivalent but must boldly choose to follow God's way and God's will no matter what. Discussion Questions: What's the hardest choice you've ever had to make? How did you make your decision? How does your relationship with God affect your choices? Explain. How can you involve God more deeply in the choices you make?   Other Topics for Discussion Theme: Take decisions seriously because they can hold lifetime consequences. God Point: It's hard to believe that one decision, one mistake, or one opportunity seized can actually hold a lifetime of impact, but that fact is true. Time and again in the Bible and in everyday life, people suffer or prosper based on one significant moment in time. Challenge your teenagers to make their decisions carefully. Following God's Word and seeking his guidance will yield the right decision every time. Discussion Questions: What have been the most important days in your life?  Does God's forgiveness redeem us from the consequences of poor decisions? Why or why not? What are some practices that would help you make better decisions?   Theme: God doesn't want us to live in denial of reality. God Point: Living in denial isn't pretty, and it's funny how everyone can see it but the people who insist on deluding themselves. God wants his children living in the light of his truth and love, not denial. Examine your lives for any areas of unrighteous denial. Are you living a life of love? Are you accepting others? Discuss methods for helping each other work through those issues. Discussion Questions:  Have you ever seen people live in denial? If so, what was it? How did their denial affect their lives? Did denial solve their problem? Why or why not? What prevents people from living in the truth? Do you think Christians are more or less likely than other people to live in denial? Explain. What are some common areas or issues people live in denial about? How can we help someone work through an area of denial? Is there an area in which you might be living in denial? If so, what must you do to live in the truth?   The Final Point In Phil's world, whatever changes, whatever is different from one day to another, is due solely to his own actions. Phil is forced, because he's stuck in do-overs, to examine his own impact on others. When Rita's response to him softens a bit, it will be obvious; when the townsfolk begin to treat him differently, he will notice immediately. His actions are not only reflected in the behavior of those around him; they are amplified as well. Phil's situation in Groundhog Day is, in fact, that of an individual who is compelled, for an extensive length of time, to examine his own effect on other people, and to even conduct experiments of a kind. This was the great gift of Groundhog Day for Phil Connors: the chance to discover this truth for himself. He discovers how to melt an icy attitude, how to break down others' defenses, how to gain others' confidence. He learns, in short, to understand his impact on other people--his own place in the scheme of things. The endless succession of Groundhog Days is, for Phil, an extended analysis of his own interaction with others. Another thing the movie suggests to us is the importance of concentrating on the things that last. Phil Connors must live the same day over and over again, and is forced to realize that the only real change that will ever be possible must happen within himself. It is at this point that he takes up piano, begins reading, learns to ice-sculpt. But if it weren't for his unique predicament, he never would have realized this; in his routine at the TV studio back in Pittsburgh, there was always something changing...and not changing. (It is interesting that Phil is a weatherman: the weather is a perfect metaphor for something that changes constantly...without, in the long term, changing at all.) We can be distracted by the superficial changes in the world around us, and forget that real change in our lives must come from within.   Goofs for Groundhog Day Factual errors: Sunrise in early February in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is not until around 7:25 am, so at 6 am it would still be fully dark. Crew or equipment visible: As Larry films the flaming wreckage of Phil's truck in the quarry, the lights used to create the glow of the fire can be seen reflected in the lens of Larry's camera. Continuity: The outside of the car while Phil is driving with the groundhog. Continuity: As Phil is about to drive the truck over the edge, Larry is filming and Rita is watching; her hair is protruding in many places. In the next shot, her hair is neatly pinned in place. Continuity: On the first day Phil wakes in the hotel he looks out of the window and sees certain cars moving and turning. The next day he looks out of the window again and sees exactly the same cars etc. as though it is exactly the same time, but the time is different which we know because the radio show that we can hear is at a different point. Revealing mistakes: When Phil is driving his car down the quarry ravine in a suicidal attempt, there is clearly no driver visible. Continuity: As Phil is walking toward the town plaza and he rounds the corner and passes by the old beggar, a number of shops can be seen over his shoulder to the right of the screen. This scene is repeated many times in the movie, and sometimes there are flags flying over the shops, while other times there are none. Factual errors: Phil removes the spark plug wires on the news van through the hood. These parts are only accessible via the cab. Revealing mistakes: While on his death binge, the pickup truck Bill and Phil uses to drive over the cliff clearly has no engine or drive-train components. The underneath shot is even depicted in slow-motion, and one can see clear through to the radiator. Revealing mistakes: When the pickup plunges over the edge of the quarry, it is clear no one is inside the cab. Continuity: Since every day takes place on the same day there should be the same amount of snow every night. However there are clearly some nights where there is a lot of snow and others where there is no snow at all. Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the last part of the movie, Phil is seen playing the piano on stage at the party. As he finishes up a song before going and talking to Rita, the piano in the soundtrack is playing a glissando (running a finger rapidly down the keyboard) while Phil is still playing as he was before. Finally, at the last run, Phil's hands match the sound. Continuity: When Phil waits for Felix to drop coins so he can grab one of the moneybags, his coat is open except for one shot where it is neatly closed. Continuity: The first evening back in Punxsutawney after returning because of the storm, we get a shot of the outside of the hotel where Phil is drinking and remarks to the bartender he would like "another one of these with alcohol". When we see the front of the hotel there is no snow on the ground, and there should have been since it was snowing all day. Continuity: When we first see Phil being identified in the morgue, his eyes are shut as the doctor pulls back the sheet. In the final scene we see a shot of Phil's face on the table and his eyes are open. Continuity: In the scene at the quarry the police car's overhead warning lights alternate between being on or off depending on the shot. Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In a scene in which Phil is courting Rita, Rita states she "likes to go with the flow, see where it takes me." During the next recurrence of the same scene, she states she "likes to go with the flow, see what happens." Continuity: On the second and third mornings, Phil's pace through the streets is much faster, yet all the people he encounters are in the same place they were on the first morning when he was casually walking to Gobblers Knob. Continuity: When Phil is playing with Rita in the snow, they make a big snowman, and some kids start throwing snowballs. In the next takes, the snowman is seen made of three big snowballs, and then two snowballs.