It's Groundhog Day -- Time to Examine Bill Murray's Plight

Today is February 2nd, more famously known as Groundhog Day, a holiday centered on a critter named Phil who emerges once a year to look for his shadow.  Luckily this year, after a tormenting winter, Phil saw his silhouetted self on the frosty earth and predicted an early Spring.

It's during this same time a year when we recall the film Groundhog Day, directed by Harold Ramis and released in 1993 (has it been that long?).  Many people, including myself, think Bill Murray gives his best performance as a conceited local weatherman sent to Punxsutawney, PA to record the holiday event. 

Murray's character begins to inexplicably relive the day over and over again.  His only escape is to genuinely learn to be honest and selfless.  The movie might be a comedy but it's also one of Murray's more dramatic roles, confronting issues of immortality and living a purposeful life.

Despite several attempts over the years to keep track of just how many days Murray's character Phil spends in the revolving world of Groundhog Day, I have always come up short.  With keen eyes, a handful of extended fingers, and a yellow pad of tally marks, the result may end with a grand total of 38 days.  That we see on screen.  But director Harold Ramis has stated in the past he thinks the time line is upwards of 10 years.

Well, today I have stumbled on the solution or at least a solution. 

That's right Bill.  According to obsessedwithfilm.com Groundhog Day's protagonist probably survived far more than five weeks in the chilly February backdrop.  More like 12, 403 days.  So nearly 34 years!

For an exact and detailed account of just how Phil spent his time in Punxsutawney, click here.

And fingers crossed for that early Spring!