'Groundhog Day'

Although I love all of Bill Murray's work, I consider his 1990s films ("Groundhog Day," "What About Bob?") to be his peak work. Murray was great on Saturday Night Live but I don't know if film really captured his true dry wit and genius until the 1990s, especially "Groundhog Day."

The film is superbly written and executed. Incredibly funny yet sincere and heartfelt. There's growth and maturation of the characters without losing the funny or having to insert some dumb, out-of-place love interest. Granted, there's love interest with the very unattractive Andie McDowell, but it doesn't get in the way of the truly important things in the film: Murray's performance, the writing and the phenomenal passage of time where Murray's Phil goes through the stages of grieving for his predicament, which he would assume would go forever. In fact, we know he assumes this because he wouldn't run from cops and do all the bad stuff unless he was certain there'd be no Feb. 3.

The moral argument made is also fascinating being that the film represents an interesting hypothetical. What if you relived the same day over and over providing you the opportunity to live dangerously, to kill yourself, to commit crimes, helps others or to help yourself. You're free to do what you want within the confines that the same day will take place once the alarm clock goes off the next morning.

We see Murray's Phil break down under the virtual insanity of literally living the same day over and over. From confusion to grief and despair to the realization that he can improve himself and then help others. It's a very mature film for being such a silly 1990s comedy. But that's part of what makes it great.