Genre: Comedy. Rating: PG13, sexuality, themes. English: standard American, intermediate

Transcription

1 I ve got to admit that it s hard to be objective with this film. I ve probably seen it fifteen times or more, which feels like much more considering the nature of the film, and I still laugh. Bill Murray is a great enough actor that I don t really know if this is his best work, but it probably is as good as Andie MacDowell gets. Some students have trouble with this film because the premise is so outlandish that they don t believe they understand it even though they do. If this comes up, relate it to fantasy stories from their own culture. This story is original, but most students can suspend disbelief enough to enjoy it. I ve had a few students also complain about the content for religious reasons: there is a brief sex scene (no nudity, and in shadows) that is played for laughs, but the real issue for some students is the repeated attempts at suicide. Still, I haven t had any students strongly object, and even if they did, I would probably use the film for the way it brings up themes of the search for significance and ultimate meaning, the nature of love, and redemption. For language level, I ve had quite a bit of success with students from pre-intermediate (if subtitles are available) to high-intermediate. Advanced students may still enjoy the film and improve their language through the discussions, but they will be less likely to learn new words. Warning: This film is divided into eight parts instead of ten. Genre: Comedy Rating: PG13, sexuality, themes English: standard American, intermediate Major Themes Dating Falling in Love Freedom vs. Destiny Ideal Man/Woman Man vs. Himself Power Search for Happiness Search for Truth Minor Themes Alcohol/Drugs Gender Roles Sexuality Stealing Suicide Supernatural (paranormal) Urban vs. Rural Part One Time: 8:20 The film begins with a montage of clouds. There s a TV news set, on which Phil is giving a weather report. We meet Rita, the new producer, and Larry, the cameraman. Phil is clearly a jerk. They head to Puxsatoney to cover the Groundhog Day Festival, Phil insults all small-town life, and the section ends when Phil goes to bed. 1. forecast: a prediction of what the weather will be like 2. blood sausage: a sausage made with pig s blood and fat 1

2 3. prima donna: a temperamental, conceited person 4. bed and breakfast: a quaint house that is rented out to people for the night and breakfast is provided Comprehension Questions: 1. Make a list of the main characters who are introduced and their jobs. Listen carefully for their names. 2. What is Phil s opinion of Groundhog Day? 3. What is Rita s opinion of Groundhog Day? 4. What s Phil s attitude toward small towns? 5. Does Phil like Rita? Does she like him? How do you know? 6. Spend some time building the schema for holidays and traditions, and the relationship of tradition to small-town community. Have students make a chart of the holidays in their own countries or America, comparing the traditions involved. 7. Explain what Goundhog Day means. 8. Have students discuss stereotypes of small-towns and townspeople compared to large cities and urbanites. 9. The main character is the weatherman. Get students to tell what they know about weathermen and discuss what the weather could symbolize in a movie. (Revisit this question often through the film.) 10. Ned is an insurance salesman. It might be worthwhile to discuss some stereotypes of insurance salesmen. 11. Have the students make a chart of the major characters in the film, their personalities, and their changing relationships to Phil. Part Two Time: 10:46 Phil wakes, showers, meets and insults several people on the way to the newscast, gives his report, and heads back to Pittsburgh only to be forced back to town by a blizzard that he had predicted would pass by. They return to the town, he faces more mishaps and goes to bed. 1. rise and shine: what people say in the morning when it s time to get out of bed 2. chapped: what happens to skin or lips when they ve been in the sun or wind and is painful and dry 3. blizzard: very bad snowstorm 4. festivities: activities that are going on for a specific event 5. espresso/cappuccino: coffee-based drink 6. cold front: a weather term used to describe when cold air replaces warm air and causes cold temperatures and 7. accumulation: something that piles up 8. chit-chat: talking 9. That s the ticket. : That s right! 10. It s a doozy!: it is going to be bad 11. leech: something that grabs onto something or 12. someone else 2

3 13. hick: slang for someone who doesn t live in the city 14. prognosticator: someone who predicts something 15. according to signs 1. booze: alcohol 2. foxy: slang for attractive Comprehension Questions: 1. What are the topics characters used for small talk? 1. Describe the celebration. Tell about the clothing, food, 2. music, and traditions involved. 3. Phil meets three people in this section: the man on the stairs, Mrs. Lancaster, and Ned Ryerson. What topics does he talk about with each one? 4. What adjectives could you use to describe Phil s personality? 5. What topics are good for small talk with Americans? What topics should be avoided for small talk? Compare this to your culture. 6. Have students practice small-talk by mingling and making conversations with others in the room for 2-3 minutes. The teacher should listen in to the various discussions and give feedback on the quality of small-talk as it would be perceived by Americans. Part Three Time: 12:24 Phil wakes the next morning to the same radio program as the day before. Little by little, as events are repeated almost identically to the previous day, he begins to realize that he is reliving Groundhog Day. He makes it through the day in a state of disorientation, goes to bed, and wakes on the third day to an exact repetition of the previous two days. This time, though, he begins to seek help from Rita, a doctor, and a psychiatrist. He ends up in a bar with two drunks, asking them what they would do if nothing they did mattered. One of the drunks says, That about sums it up for me. 1. deja-vu: something that happens that feels like it has already happened 2. sharp as a tack: very smart 3. punchline: the end of a joke or story that is funny 4. racking my brain: trying to think of something 5. veterinary: a doctor that treats animals 1. What things are different on the different days? Why are these things different? 2. Compare the first and second days. Make a list of everything that was similar and everything that was different. 3. Compare the third day to the second. What things changed? Why did they change? 4. What is the doctor s advice? 5. What is the psychiatrist s advice? 6. What do you think is the explanation of what s happening to Phil? 7. Is there anyplace that Phil could have gone for help that he didn t go? 8. What would you do if you were stuck in the same place, and nothing you did mattered? 3

4 9. Is Phil in control of his life? What does it mean to be in control of your life? 10. The conversation with the drunks could bring up a lot of deeper talks. Have students discuss it in depth, provoking them to good ideas if necessary. The key issue is, What makes life worthwhile? Try to keep the topic open, though, because closure at this point will kill a lot of future discussions. Part Four Time: 15:10 One of the drunks in the bar points out that Phil s being overly pessimistic about his new life. No rules means no consequences. Phil buys into the idea and becomes a total hedonist, using his new power to break all kinds of laws and seduce a woman. The section ends when he is starting to make his move on Rita, and she tells him what she considers a perfect man. 1. throw up: vomit 2. flapjacks: pancakes 3. swerve: move in an un-straight path 4. throw caution to the wind: ignore good sense and do something crazy 5. egocentric: someone who is focused on themselves 6. doggy bag: a box to take leftover food from the restaurant home in 7. It s beginning to grow on me. : I m starting to like it. 8. one-night stand: a one-night relationship of sexual intercourse Comprehension Questions: 1. What laws does Phil break? 2. Describe how Phil gets to know Nancy. What strategy does he use? 3. What characteristics does Rita say that she wants in a perfect man? 4. What laws does Phil break? 5. What would happen to society if there were no consequences for anti-social actions? 6. What strategy does Phil use to get Nancy? What does this tell you about Phil s personality? What does it tell you about Nancy s personality? 7. Why does Phil ask Rita about her goals? 8. What do you think of Rita s goals? Are they good? What are your goals? 9. What characteristics is Rita looking for in a perfect man? 10. Were you surprised by any of the characteristics Rita listed in her perfect man? 11. Do laws give or do they limit freedom? 12. What does it mean to be free? 13. Separate the male and female students and have each make a list of characteristics they want in a member of the opposite sex and of the characteristics they think the opposite sex wants in them. This could launch a great discussion. Part Five Time: 13:18 As Rita opens to Phil, Phil begins manipulating their interactions to make himself into the perfect man for her. The scheme almost works as they spend more and more of the day 4

5 together. Each day, though, ends with her slapping him after he pushes it too far. The section ends with a series of slaps. 1. go with the flow: do what everyone else is doing 2. raincheck: do it another time instead of today 3. a set-up: a situation that was planned to put someone in a bad situation 1. Why does Rita become angry at the end of the day? What does Phil say that makes her so angry? 2. What does Phil do to get Rita to like him? 3. Do you think that Phil s strategy (learning everything about her and making everything exactly as she wants it) would work on most women? Why or why not? 4. Why does Rita become angry when Phil tells her that he loves her? 5. How does Rita define love? How do you define love? 6. Is it possible to make someone love you? 7. Try to get a good discussion going on the nature of love and what it would take to make someone love you. 8. Have students write a poem telling what love is and present it to the class. (This would require quite a bit of motivation ability from the teacher, but it s worth it!) Part Six Time: 18:12 In despair with the meaninglessness of his hedonistic life, Phil tries repeatedly to commit suicide. He succeeds every time, and wakes up the next morning every time. He concludes that he is immortal, and he begins to try to convince Rita to believe in his godhood. Rita spends and entire day with Phil and even ends up falling asleep beside him as he reads and tells her that he loves her. 1. out of his gourd: slang for crazy 2. morgue: place where dead bodies stay until they are buried 3. electrocuted: hurt with electricity 1. What does Phil say to get Rita to spend the day with him? 2. How is this day different from the other days? Why is it different? 3. Why does Phil try to kill himself? 4. Are there ever situations in which suicide is acceptable? 5. What is the difference between God and a god? 6. Why does Phil ask Rita to spend the day with him? Is he still trying to seduce her? 7. How is this day different from the days in which Phil tried to impress Rita? 8. What does Phil say he likes about Rita? 9. At the end of the scene, Rita says that sometimes she wishes she had a thousand lifetimes. What would you do if you could live a thousand years? Would you like to live that long? 5

6 10. Rita seems to respond much more to Phil on this day, when he tries to let her know him instead of just knowing everything about her. Why is that? 11. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being emotionally vulnerable? Have students discuss it and give examples from their lives. 12. What makes you fall in love with someone? 13. Keep returning to the question of what makes life worth living. Part Seven Time: 17:53 Inspired by Rita s optimism, Phil decides to make the most of each day. He learns to play piano. He tries to save the life of an old man. He becomes generally enlightened. The days become increasingly good until, after a day of amazingly good deeds, Phil is bought by Rita at a bachelor auction and they begin to walk out of the party. 1. errands: little things that need to be done (such as go to grocery store or get the mail) 2. brat: someone who is not very nice 3. auto club: a group that provides its members with various car or travel services 4. bachelor auction: an event that sells single men to single women to go on a date with them 1. How does Rita respond to the changes in Phil? Why does she respond this way? 2. Why does Phil change? 3. Why can t Phil help the old man? 4. How does Rita respond to Phil s change? Why does she respond this way? What does this say about her personality or values? 5. Are there bad aspects of life that are impossible for people to change? What are the bad parts of life that can t be altered in any way? 6. Do you think this new way of life will become boring for Phil? Why? Part Eight Time: 6:00 Replay the last full day, including the bachelor auction. Phil makes a sculpture of Rita, confesses his love, and wakes up to find her beside him on the day after Groundhog Day. 1. Why does Rita respond differently this time when Phil tells her that he loves her? What changed? 2. What does Phil want to do once the spell is broken? Why does he want to do this? 3. Have the students write movie reviews of this film telling the basic storyline, themes, images, and their opinion of the film. 4. What does this movie say about love and romance? 6

7 5. What does this movie say about the basic human condition (are we bad or good)? 6. What does this movie say about the source of happiness? 7