January 25, 2006 11:39 PM
For moms who need a fresh start - Part 4
Okay, this is the fun part of resolving to become better mommies. I had been plannning to blog on this anyway, but it really fits in with the subject of coming to grips with our shortcomings and the need for fresh starts. Plus guaranteed to make you laugh, which is always a healthy alternative :)
From last year's archives:
Just want to give you a heads up for Groundhog Day, February 2, for the past ten years, one of our family's favorite holidays. No, we've never been to Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney or seen old Punxsutawney Phil - the groundhog with the all-important shadow - in person. Maybe next year.Punxsutawnians have been celebrating Groundhog Day since 1886. We started celebrating in 1994 when we fell in love with the movie Groundhog Day
.If you've never seen this hilarious film, you really need to. And if you've seen it before, you probably need to see it again. Its positive message, catchy soundtrack, and laugh-out-loud humor have made it one of our yearly family rituals.
To see what reviewers thought, check it out at rottentomatoes, where Groundhog Day, rated PG, racked up a very impressive 97%.
Groundhog Day is the story of a small-potatoes Pennsylvania weatherman named Phil - yeah, like the groundhog - played by Bill Murray. With his unfulfilled dreams of hitting the big time, Phil is a jaded, caustic narcissist, disgusted with his Groundhog Day assignment - traveling for the third year in a row to cover the events in Punxsutawney. With him are his radiant new producer Rita (Andie MacDowell) and nebbishy cameraman Larry (Chris Elliott).
Phil's contempt for everything and everyone around him are almost palpable. He can't wait to wrap the show and get out of Hicksville. But a blizzard keeps them from getting out of town.
The next day Phil wakes up to the same tune playing on the radio (Sonny and Cher's "I Got You, Babe"), the same morning anchor chitchat. He looks out the window and sees the same snowless scene he saw the day before.
And so begins Phil's nightmare, trapped in an endless repetition of Groundhog Day, though he's the only one who knows. Phil journeys through disbelief, frustration, opportunism, suicidal despair (and even that's funny) before he realizes that he is the one responsible for his misery. His liberation comes when he finally decides to make the most of every moment, and in so doing begins to make himself a better man and the world a better place.
Posted in Mothering, Movies | Permalink
Comments
My husband and I have laughed our way through this movie several times. Thanks for reminding me of it! There are days, I have to say, when I feel that I am trapped in the endless "Groundhog Day" cycle. And that's when I wish I could do some of the silly things Phil did when he realized tomorrow was going to be a replay of today. Thanks for reminding me that I am responsible for my misery. I'm glad I know the One who made me and is ordering my days. When I go to Him with my "Groundhog Days", He can always break the spell of the endless monotony.
Posted by: Christa | January 26, 2006 8:44 AM
thanks for the time you have put into parts 1-4.
the image of the garfield cake story is riveting. And it is teaching me.
Posted by: floorplan | January 26, 2006 9:21 AM
