Groundhog Day

Hello everyone! Again, I want to tell you how to learn English fun! The movie Groundhog Day is on the agenda. Let’s go!

The Plot

Groundhog Day is a 1993 American comedy movie directed by Harold Ramis.

The main character is Phil Connors. He is a meteorologist on Pittsburgh’s PBH television channel, a reasoner and cynic who has long been tired of monotonous work and has forgotten how to enjoy it.

Every year, he comes to a small town in Pennsylvania to celebrate Groundhog Day. But this time the fun risks going too far. Time has played a trick on him: it has stopped.

Now Phil’s calendar is black with the same date — February 2, which he can’t get out of. The cheerful host tries to capitalize on his comical situation: he has a lot of time ahead of him and a serene predictable future.

he gets drunk and violates public order, eats too much sweets, meets and seduces a girl he likes, robs collectors and squanders money. Soon it gets boring. Phil, driven to desperation by the time loop, tries to commit suicide, even taking his namesake, the Groundhog, with him for the first time. It’s useless — in the morning he wakes up in the same bed. After communicating with Rita, a producer from the TV station, Phil begins self-improvement. He completely devotes the next day to good deeds. The next morning comes “tomorrow” — February 3. Phil decides to stay in Punxsutawney. End of story — everyone is happy!

Groundhog Day dazzles with bright colors and an entertaining story. The movie raises many interesting questions, from finding yourself to the perfect woman. Good movie, good actors!

Facts:

• The movie takes place in the town of Punxsutawney (Pennsylvania). In fact, the movie was shot in the state of Illinois, in a locality called Woodstock. An interesting fact is that the puddle, in which the main character constantly stepped, turned into a local landmark and even got a memorial plaque with the inscription “Bill Murray stepped here ”.
• Bill Murray didn’t get along with Groundhog Phil. During the filming, the animal bit the artist twice.

• Director Harold Ramis claims that Phil Connors lived the same day for ten years before finding a way to break the time loop. The movie tells about 34 days from this period of the hero’s life.
• The events taking place in Groundhog Day resemble the plot of Jack Sholder’s movie Twelve Zero One At Midnight. The premiere of the science fiction film, based on the story of Richard Lupoff, took place in the summer of 1993. These similarities led to legal proceedings that stretched for six months.
• Groundhog day, 14 years after its premiere, was listed in the national Film Registry of the United States as a work of cinema art that has cultural, historical and aesthetic significance.

Phrases and Quotes:

• “People are morons”
• “OK, campers, rise and shine!” — “Rise and shine” is a common way to wake people early in the morning.
• “We may catch a break” = We may get some good luck.
• “Yeah, these people are hicks” — an important slang word to describe uneducated people (usually implying from the country or a small town)
• “This town is starting to grow on me” = “I am beginning to like it.”
• “What should we drink to?” — it is common to drink “to something,” in order to celebrate or honor it.
• “I’m versatile” — I am capable of doing many things.
• “I owe you one!” = “I owe you a favor for what you did for me.”

Useful Words and Expressions:

• To go out on a limb — to take a risk
• a blizzard — a violent storm with lots of snow
• Precipitation — rain (осадки)
• A bed and breakfast (called a “B & B”) — a private home that works as a hotel
• To make chit-chat — chit-chat is unimportant talk done to pass the time (= small talk).
• Love handles — a great term for the extra fat that many people have around their hips
• Fudge — a type of delicious chocolate candy
• To pay top dollar — to pay a high price

So, I hope this post will be useful for you and you will decide to watch this movie.

Good luck!