Many years ago I heard a theory that the whole loop begins because Phil (Murray, not the groundhog) gets hit in the head with a shovel about a minute earlier. Have you heard this before and what do you think of it?
shareNo, but it does not matter.
The reason why the events happened are never explained.
And that's it.
You can surmise all sorts of theories, but unless the filmakers, writers etc come out and say why it happened, then it's left to our imagination.
So... imagine away.
I agree that it doesn't matter, but it's an interesting theory.
shareI've heard that but I more like that God made him relive Groundhog Day til he became a better person.
shareI've felt similar. I didn't feel it was God, but it was more like an inner spiritual thing that needed to happen.
shareAnd that whole card toss into the hat trick wasn't good enough? Geesh, God's a hard man to please.
shareHe hadn't become a better person then. He was just trying to have a one night stand with Rita at that point which was selfish of him.
shareI don't think he was trying to have a one night stand with her at that point. That scene was after he failed at the one night stand trick and he was being honest.
shareWell that is before he decided to help the homeless man or the boy who fell out of the tree.
shareBut he did those things because of that scene. I think it's just character development in a writing sense, the failing to save the homeless man scene completely destroys his self ego and he sets his sights on just reliving a really perfect day for eternity.
shareStill, I think he still needed to better himself more.
shareNice. I think I've read about that in one of those movie magazines many years ago.
shareNot really sure if this theory has any teeth at all. Getting hit on the head seems really irrelevant to a supernatural element. You could just as easily say stepping in a puddle triggered it, or sleeping in that particular room on that particular day triggered it.
sharePossibly, but maybe you could say that it's all in his head until the end when he finally comes out of it.
share"In his head" is extremely thin too. He wakes up with Rita.... meaning his perfect day indeed occurred... meaning he somehow knew everyone and everything in Punxsutawney.
I take it all at face value, as seemingly intended by Ramis.
Nope the hit to the head was not hard enough for any of that.
share