He's been through it before... and then again.
#1 Groundhog Day, 1993
Directed by Harold Ramis (Played Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters)
Starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliot
When every day feels like a terrible case of deja vu, Groundhog Day can make you feel less alone. Phil Connors (Murray) is a grumpy, selfish, and resentful weatherman who is reporting on what he thinks is a joke of a news story: whether or not the famous groundhog, Punxatawney Phil, will see his shadow that year.
Connors ends up in a loop, repeating the same day over and over, which is a feeling I can relate to, marking the passage of time by the cheering of my neighbors at 7 p.m. to celebrate our hard working health care workers... As Tom Hanks said in his recent Saturday Night Live at Home opening monologue, "There's no such thing as Saturdays anymore. It's just, 'Every day is today."
Connors' actions over the course of the film weave between repulsive and admirable, but they might spark inspiration to start your own new hobby, like learning the piano, a musical instrument or studying French poetry. Most of his efforts are just part of a plot to sleep with his producer, Rita (MacDowell). And you have to remember that in every one of Phil's scenarios, it's Rita's first day on the job. When self-betterment doesn't get him out of his rut, he turns to depression... but that doesn't help either.
Harold Ramis, the director (and star of Ghostbusters fame) said that people of many philosophies recommend this movie, from Buddhists to the 12 step program, yogis to psychoanalysts, because "We keep reliving the same old patterns over and over until we gain the right to free ourselves."
Connors doesn't exit his loop until he learns to focus on helping others. Self-betterment and depression won't get us out of our loop, either. But if we all work together, maybe our own repetitive struggles will end, too.
Available to stream on Netflix
#2 What About Bob? 1991
Directed by Frank Oz (Voice actor and producer for The Muppets)
Starring Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss, Julie Hagerty
As Bob Wiley (Murray) walks through the streets of New York City, dodging oncoming pedestrian traffic, he repeats to himself over and over,
"I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful."
Wiley's new therapist, Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss), classifies his patient as a "multiphobic personality in a constant state of panic," which kind of reminds me how it feels to go to the supermarket right now. As he opens doors and clutches phones with napkins and tissues, you can't help but feel pangs of empathy for what is supposed to be a hopelessly delusional man.
In classic eighties Bill Murray style, hijinks ensue as Dr. Marvin learns just how co-dependent Bob is.
Available to stream on Netflix and HBOgo