Eastern Religious Thought in the Film Groundhog Day

In the 1993 comedy, Groundhog Day, Bill Murray stars as Phil the highly esteemed, yet profoundly proud, weatherman for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s WPBH-TV9. As the story unfolds, Phil reluctantly embarks on his annual trip to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, whereby he will await the report concerning the end of winter by the famous groundhog known as Punxsutawney Phil. As the story continues, the main character, Phil, finds himself trapped, waking up each morning only to re-experience January 2nd – Groundhog Day.

Much like those of eastern religious traditions believe dharma to be the key in breaking the unceasing cycle of death and rebirth, Phil finds himself on a journey of introspection seeking to find the key to his liberation. Phil’s journey, similar to that of Siddhartha (The Buddha), would lead him to seek answers from science, the indulgence of worldly desires, and practicing morality. However, Phil’s failed attempts would only lead him to total despondence until ultimately he would begin to question his own mortality.

The purpose of this paper is to show some of the connections that can be made between the film and important concepts found within the myths of eastern religious traditions, especially that of Buddhism, as both Phil Conners and Siddhartha gain enlightenment and consequently achieve final liberation from their natural or naked self. In 6th century BCE, Siddhartha was born of nobility to King Shuddhodana and his wife Maha Maya.

Soon after a time of great urbanization, people began to express individuation and a sense of an otherness – the self. According to “Stories”, this inner marketplace of otherness makes itself heard as the voice of an eros which orders the desires of its citizens according to the unseen measure of God, such that justice is established as a measure of right order. Furthermore, when the self is stripped of its collective identity it leaves the naked self to quest for a new sense of identity adequate to its new situation. pg 58) After growing up within the protection of the palace walls, Siddhartha is taken by surprise after three different encounters (old man, sick man, and a dead man) that would, for the first time, beg him to face the idea of his own mortality. Wrestling with such matters concerning human suffering, Siddhartha purposed on a journey that would lead him to the conclusion that all life is suffering and that human desire is the cause.

In the film Groundhog Day, Phil Conners finds himself, instead, on an involuntary quest to discover the answers to his current suffering; therefore, attempting to find liberation from the unceasing impermanence of his reality. In the beginning of the film, Phil Conners is seen as arrogant, power-seeking, and unconcerned with the world outside himself. However, when he is forced to live the same day, over-and-over-again, he searches out many avenues in hopes of ultimately breaking free.

Likewise, it is only after experimenting with several avenues and extremes (fasting, meditation, and asceticism) that Siddhartha himself is able to find the “Middle Way” (pg 55) that would inevitably lead him to discover the answer to human suffering. The Middle Way led Siddhartha to the realization that human desires were nothing but false attachments to that which is not real to begin with; therefore, keeping us to live out Samsara again and again until such attachments can be all together extinguished.

On a similar note, Phil Conners, only after seeking both the advice of a medical doctor and a psychologist, would continue on a journey that would lead him to self indulgence, only then on a journey of backlash – to live a life of morality (much like the 8 Fold Path), and finally to live a life of total apathy which would ultimately lead to many suicide attempts. However, much to his suffering, all of these instances still required an attachment to the ego – to the naked self.

Lastly, both Siddhartha and Phil Conners finally receive enlightenment (Nirvana) only after a total detachment from the self – Siddhartha, by way of the “Four Noble Truths” (pg 56) and “The Eight Fold Path” (pg 56) and Phil Conners, by way of finding contentment in all things. In conclusion, both their journey’s inevitably lead to the end of alienation and the anxiety producing attachments of this world. Phil Conners remarked, “You must kill yourself many times, until yourself simply doesn’t exist anymore”.

Upon experiencing the infinite, one is able to grasp his or her place in the world – one with the unceasing infinite. Continuing their similarities, both Phil Conners and Siddhartha finally purpose to spread their message and knowledge of liberation with the world. Siddhartha, now the Buddha, goes on to make many disciples and proclaim The Way of Liberation and Phil Conners decides to remain in Puxsutawney afterall, whereby he will spread his message of hope found only in the contentment and learning how to live outside of oneself.