Columbia Pictures Corporation
A movie is special when it’s described as such by its viewers “Groundhog Day”It was… something you wouldn’t expect. These are just a few films that were inspired or informed by a similar time loop story to the Bill Murray romcom classic.
New Line Television
“12:01” (1993) • Here’s a short story about which “12:01”Is actually pre-dated “Groundhog Day”By almost 20 years. It’s about a man caught reliving the worst day of his life when his wife is shot and killed. He receives an electrical shock at midnight and relives the previous day, only to discover that things have worsened.
Sony Pictures Classics
“Run Lola Run” (1998) • Tom Tykwer’s action classic takes the time looping premise and turns it into a kinetic, real-time thrill ride. Lola, the title character, goes on a 20 minute dash. Each time it is repeated, there are slight changes to the story that incite ideas about parallel realities or moral choice.
Columbia Pictures Corporation
“50 First Dates” (2004) • Adam Sandler will make another romcom aping. “Groundhog Day” premise. In this one, Drew Barrymore only thinks she’s living the same day over and over because she has an affliction in which she can’t remember the previous day, but it doesn’t stop Sandler from trying to win her over. Short-term memory loss is a real thing, but not Barrymore’s specific affliction.
THINKFilm
“Primer” (2004) • One of the more creative indie time travel stories you’re likely to see, Shane Carruth’s lo-fi thriller is a densely plotted science fiction story about two entrepreneurial inventors who accidentally invent a device that allows them to travel back in time for a few hours at a time. Carruth keeps us in the dark as to what they’ve actually invented until well into the film, and it maintains its tension as it evolves into a character study of these two men trying to double cross the other.
Summit Entertainment
“Source Code” (2011) • Jake Gyllenhaal wakes up in someone else’s body eight minutes before a terrorist attack blows up the train he’s riding on. It’s his job to use that time to find the terrorist and stop the attack. The movie’s first eight minutes are its best when he realizes that he’s living someone else’s final moments. Duncan Jones uses sci-fi as a parable to show the frustrations of being used as tools and the nature of freewill within alternate realities.
Warner Bros. Pictures
“Edge of Tomorrow” a.k.a. “Live. Die. Repeat.” (2014) • This is one of Tom Cruise’s most underrated roles. We see him dying in an endless loop while he attempts to win in a battle against aliens. Each life is like a video game, in which he gains experience as well as getting closer to winning. But its charm comes from a sardonic sense of humor and Cruise’s relationship with a hard-nosed soldier played by Emily Blunt. In the end, she kills him in training more often than the aliens.
Netflix
“Naked” (2017) • It’s “Groundhog Day”With no clothes! Phil Connors at least didn’t have to relive the same humiliation Marlon Wayans does, where he wakes up naked hours before his wedding day and has to repeat things over and over until he gets things right. This film is actually a remake from a Swedish movie from 2000.
Open Road Films/Universal Pictures
“Before I Fall” (2017) • What if “Groundhog Day”Was it about a mean-spirited girl? Zoey deutch stars in the role of a San Francisco teen with a “perfect” high school life until she’s killed in a car accident. She begins to reassess her life and uncover the mystery surrounding her accident by repeating the exact same day.
Universal Pictures
“Happy Death Day”(2017) “Happy Death Day 2U” (2019) • “Happy Death Day”Horror movie about Jessica Rothe, who must relive a crime committed by a child killer until she is able to outsmart him. The sequel was made after the film’s success. “Happy Death Day 2U,”Rothe dies again, in a wink at the premise. She and her friends find themselves in the vicious death loop again.
Netflix
“See You Yesterday” (2019) • Stefon Bristol’s time-travel Netflix drama, produced by Spike Lee, features two high-school science geniuses (Eden Duncan-Smith and Dante Crichlow) who keep traveling back to the same day when their first trip back in time ends in tragedy. It blends criticisms of racial profiling, over-policing, and light moments with a cameo appearance from Dante Crichlow. “Back to the Future”Star Michael J. Fox.
Toronto Film Review
“The Obituary of Tunde Johnson” (2019) • TIFF’s drama tells the story about a black and gay teenager who is murdered in an unprovoked act of police brutality. Then, he wakes up the next morning to relive his death.
Sundance Institute
“Palm Springs” (2020) • Cristin Milosti and Andy Samberg starred in the film. It was sold to Hulu and Neon for an unprecedented $17.5million when it debuted at Sundance. Milioti plays a sci-fi comedy character who dreads attending a wedding. However, she is drawn to Samberg by his infinite time loop and becomes entangled in it. “Palm Springs”It explores personal trauma, depression, and guilt.
Amazon Studios
“The Map of Tiny Perfect Things” (2021) • “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things”Name-drop directly “Groundhog Day”And “Edge of Tomorrow”It’s a coming-of-age rom-com about two teenagers who discover they are trapped in the time loop. Kathryn Newton stars alongside Kyle Allen in the film.