Kevin's Watch

I know, you might be thinking, "this should be in the Flicks forum", but not so!

Anyway, I was watching the movie Groundhog Day for about the thirtieth time on television, and I was thinking:

Would someone like to live one day over and over? This would entail that you could do anything you wanted--even kill yourself--and you'd still wake up and it'd be the same day again.

It sounds like both curse and blessing to me. On one hand there is everything you'll garner from living one day over and over: vast knowledge, the immortality bit, eat yourself silly, etc. But then again, one would get tired of it, wouldn't they? I suppose I'd probably get tired of it myself, but then I'd make the best of it.

One last thing: what day would you like to live over and over? Some might say their wedding, heh, but really, the ceremony would get very old if you had to relive it for a year or more straight. And don't even say giving birth to your child!

I have no particular day in mind I'd like to go through over and over. I guess if I did, though, I'd like it to be a Saturday in the spring or summer. That'd be nice.

Halloween (also Nevada Day), and yeah, sign me up.

Great movie!! And yeah, I'd do it, assuming I knew it wouldn't be forever. Which is better than he knew.

I don't think any particular day would make a difference. (Have you ever read/seen Our Town?) No matter what, you'd change every aspect of it at some point. If you did pick your wedding, I'm sure we'd all leave him/her at the alter some days.

That's interesting. It shows how perspective and character can truly, totally change, given that you're living in the same exact situation/event day after day. One day you're the man who wants to marry badly, but the next you could be an almost totally different person that's nervous about it. I sometimes do stuff ahead of time, or do it before, thinking, "I don't want to leave my future self with these chores, so I'll do him a favor."

I mean, I feel--and maybe this is just me here--but I feel that I've grown so much over the last two years (or even one year) that if I met my "old self" we'd be quite different persons. I feel I have a totally different mind and outlook from my, say, sixteen year old self than my eighteen year old self. I supposed that's because I hadn't read the Ice and Fire books then, the Hemingway then, or even the Covenant books then. Changes, changes, changes.

I always wonder if everyone would go through similar steps, ultimately ending with the acceptance and being a good person that he did, or if some would never learn certain lessons, no matter how long they were stuck there. Some might come to accept that they're stuck there, and always be manipulative about it.

True. I know I wouldn't have learned to ice sculpt like him or play the piano. I'd probably just sit around for eternity playing video games, ya know? It'd be like finding that long lost alternate Saturday and playing it in a constant loop . . . Then again, I believe that someone said that all the stuff Bill learned to do in Groundhog Day would have taken him 27 years to learn. Honestly, if stuck there for 27 years, I might do something like the stuff he did. Maybe even the driving off a cliff with a groundhog in the truck thing, too.

It makes me think about fate, too. Living the same day over and over means you know what's coming for the rest of your life--there's no determinism to it or predestination or even uncertainty--none whatsoever. That would truly be a test of one's character.

There's a fantastic book about that called REPLAY by Ken Grimwood, 1986. The guy starts his life over and over again from the same point, but can do anything he wants with it once it starts. The author put a lot of imagination into a realistic exploration of the possibilities.

I agree with that idea. I think the most important thing is how we behave and react to the hand we're dealt, whether it's the individual events, or the overall situation. But yes, it would test us in ways that we're not used to.

No doubt, this was one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. But no, I wouldn't want to live the same day over and over again, no matter what the perks might be. I live for each day, and the unique perspectives my reality brings me. To live the same day over and over would just bore me.




-B

But to live the same day over and over would give you the most unique perspective of anyone, no?

And yes, Foul, it's amazing to think of how long he must have been caught in order to learn all that!

Good movie. They filmed much of Groundhog Day in a nearby town. My sister's mother-in-law is an extra in the movie.

As for the premise, I think I'd act rather along the same lines as the character. Though, I suppose it would depend on which day relived.

Well... yeah Fist, but only for a while.


If it were a big city like New York, or even better, L.A., and no huge storms to ruin my day I guess it could be interesting.


And not having to floss? Whoopeee!


-B

It might be a fun novelty at first, as long as it's going to end, and you know it's going to end. You know, you could try all the things you can never do in a world where there are consequences (Bill Murray's character robbed a bank, as I recall). And I suppose you could play all the video games you want, though it would be slightly frustrating to have to start it again each day. The problems for me would be:

1) Total predictability - that doesn't appeal at all. As I said, it might be nice to have a little holiday in Groundhog Day, but I wouldn't want to live there

2) Being stuck in the same place - I'm a person who likes to travel and see other places/cultures etc (it's one of my dreams/goals) and being stuck within a set radius would be hellish. I think it would make me claustrophobic.

I think I'd like it if I only lived each day twice or so. Then you could fix everything you messed up the first time around and then get on with things