Summary
- Phil relives the same day approximately 12,400 times in Groundhog Day, equating to almost 34 years.
- Groundhog Day director Harold Ramis initially believed Phil was trapped for 10 years, but later went back on his stance.
- Not knowing how long Phil was trapped is part of the movie's message - the days are meant to blend together for both Phil and the audience.
This article contains mention of suicide attempts in the movie Groundhog Day.
In Directed by Harold Ramis and co-written by Danny Rubin, Groundhog Day follows a cynical weatherman (Murray) who finds himself stuck in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, forced to relive the titular annual holiday forever. After Phil finds his purpose in life and becomes a better person, the curse is broken and Phil is finally freed from the time loop.
In addition to being a comedy classic, Groundhog Day is arguably the quintessential time loop movie. In fact, the term "Groundhog Day" has become synonymous with both the phenomenon and the film trope of someone reliving the same day over and over in other Groundhog Day's ending still leaves many questions unanswered, including the exact number of times Phil actually relived that same day on February 2.
Groundhog Day is available to stream on AMC+.
Groundhog Day’s Best Theory Makes The Happy Ending A Curse
Groundhog Day sees Phil Connors get stuck in purgatory - but one interesting theory flips its happy ending to introduce another kind of hell.
Phil Relives Approximately 12,400 Days In Groundhog Day
12,400 days equates to almost 34 years
According to Simon Gallagher from WhatCulture, Phil relives the same day approximately 12,400 times in Groundhog Day. To get to this number, Gallagher began counting each separate day shown onscreen in Groundhog Day, which adds up to 38 days total. Next, he calculated all the different events that Phil mentions having happened, like his six offscreen suicide attempts (factoring in an additional 20 days to contemplate), assuming they all took place on separate days. Phil also says he saw the same film 100 times, presumably on different days, which brings the running total up to 164 days.
Gallagher also estimated how many days it would've taken Phil to learn and memorize the vast information about Rita (Andie MacDowell) and the diner folks' backstories and familiarize himself with certain places around town. Adding the two days Phil spent memorizing the answers to Jeopardy!, the total comes to around 272 days. Gallagher also gave Phil six weeks, or 42 days, to memorize the precise actions of the people driving the security van he eventually robs, and 26 days to learn how to fix Felix's back, which comes to 340 days.
Phil also indirectly reveals it took him six months to learn to card throw, which tacks on an additional 180 days, give or take, for a total of 520 days. For the skills that would take years to learn, Gallagher applied the theory that it takes 10,000 hours to master any one subject. He adjusted the numbers accordingly based on Phil's habits, assuming he focused on one skill at a time and none of the days overlapped:
- 10 years to become an expert at ice sculpting = 3650 days
- 10.5 years to master playing piano = 3833 days
- 12 years to become fluent in French = 4380 days
Learning these three skills took up the bulk of Phil's time, bringing the total to 12,383 days. Finally, Gallagher added 12 days for Phil to successfully accomplish his many selfless gestures, such as saving the child falling out of a tree and giving Buster the Heimlich maneuver. All in all, this comes to 12,395 days, which, rounded up to 12,400 days even, equals 33 years and 355 days, just 10 days short of 34 years. Of course, this total is only an estimate based heavily on assumption, but it seems like a pretty plausible (and horrifying) amount of time.
Even Groundhog Day's Director Doesn't Know How Long Phil Was Trapped
Harold Ramis initially said 10 years, but later retracted his statement
The total number of days Phil was trapped will always be a point of contention, even if you directed and co-wrote Groundhog Day yourself. In the DVD commentary for Groundhog Day, Ramis revealed that in the original script, Rubin had Phil "living the same day over and over again for 10,000 years." Ultimately, they decided to "reduce the scope of it" to make it easier for the audience to wrap their minds around the amount of time, and, according to Ramis, they "figure[d] the day had been repeating for about 10 years" instead.
Based on Ramis' updated stance, Gallagher was in the right ballpark with 34 years.
However, years later, several sources reported that the exact total was actually eight years, eight months, and 16 days. In response to this, Ramis wrote to Heeb Magazine in 2009 to dispute this lowball number. "I think the 10-year estimate is too short," Ramis said, backtracking on his and Rubin's own initial position. "It takes at least 10 years to get good at anything, and, allotting for the downtime and misguided years he spent, it had to be more like 30 or 40 years." Based on Ramis' updated stance, Gallagher was in the right ballpark with 34 years.
Not Knowing How Long Phil Was Trapped Is The Point Of Groundhog Day
Neither Phil nor the audience is supposed to be keeping track of the days
As the days add up, they're supposed to start blending together for Phil and the audience.
While it's natural to wonder how long Phil was stuck in the time loop, there's a reason it's never revealed in the movie. As the days add up, they're supposed to start blending together for Phil and the audience. If Groundhog Day featured a running count of the number of days, it would diminish the effect of Phil becoming more and more disoriented by the endless cycle he's stuck in until he finds purpose in it. By not keeping track of the days and never revealing how long the curse lasted, Groundhog Day emphasized the significance of Phil's journey instead.
Sources: WhatCulture, Groundhog Day DVD commentary, Heeb Magazine
- Cast
- Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle-Murray, Marita Geraghty
- Director
- Harold Ramis
- Writers
- Danny Rubin, Harold Ramis
