Most underrated film of the year

I think we all know what film I hated the most this year. If you don’t know then you haven’t been reading my blog. So, GO READ IT. However, I would like to write about the most underrated film I have seen this year. This film would have to be Groundhog Day. I too considered it to be better than it was before this class. I thought it was a comedic classic and Bill Murray could not been funnier. The thing I did not realize was that this film went a lot deeper than it let it on. Maybe the reason for me not realizing this would be that, before seeing it in class, I had not seen it in its entirety. It was one of those films that I always picked up from a certain point. But once I saw the film from start to finish, I understood that there was more to it than met the eye. Harold Ramis, the director, points out in his commentary on the film the existential nature of the film. This, of course, stems from Murray’s character Phil Connors repeating the same day over and over and over and over again. Through the repetition, he finds the flaws within his own character. Phil begins to realize the reasons why he hates his life, why people hate him, and why he hates people. This also incorporates the ideas and precepts of the Far Eastern religions, specifically Buddhism and Hinduism. Both faiths deal heavily in the afterlife and reincarnation. Hinduism refers to a chain of being and social class within society that one ascends through as they become more virtuous, better people. This is a possibility of what happens to Phil, in an exaggerated sense. He is living a terrible life. So, some divine power has him repeat this one day until he gets it right. At first he tries to use it to his advantage getting women and money. Then he becomes depressed and sees it as a curse. Next, he tries to get the girl of his dreams, possibly. Finally, Phil sees the point in being able to make one day perfect. He helps the poor, old man, saves the falling kid and begins to help his crew. For some reason or another Phil breaks the cycle and can go on living a normal life. This film is not underrated because not enough people think it’s funny. It’s underrated because not enough people see that the film and its message go far deeper than the comedy and humor.