GITS Script Reading & Analysis: “Groundhog Day” — Characters

This week we will be analyzing the screenplay for the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, screenplay by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis, story by Danny Rubin. The movie received the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay.

You may download a copy of the script here.

Today we discuss the script’s characters. Here is a list of the primary ones:

Phil

Rita

Larry

Ned

Gus

Ralph

Interesting there are so few primary characters in this story, really only Phil, Rita, Larry, and Ned.

Our schedule for discussion:

Monday, January 28: General comments
Tuesday, January 29: Structure
Wednesday, January 30: Characters
Thursday, January 31: Themes
Friday, February 1: Dialogue

Here is an excerpt from a Big Think interview with Danny Rubin:

Question: What were the reactions to the script?

Danny Rubin: I had written one screenplay already and had sold it and that was the sum total of my Hollywood experience up until then. I had gone to a lot of meetings and my agent had pretty much said, “You really need to write something else and get it out there quickly before people tire of you,” and I had had this thought and I decided, you know what, I could write that one quickly. That’s a really good one. It’s a little movie. I can write it quickly and get it out there and use it as a writing sample just to show people when I walk in the room, here’s my latest script.

So, that was the purpose of it and then after it went out, I got a ton of meetings off of it because people liked the story and they liked the writing and I counted 50 different meetings and that’s what really got my feet wet in Hollywood. I got to meet a lot of these producers. I got a couple of jobs off of it. Nobody wanted to make Groundhog Day. In fact, kind of strangely, I was new to L.A. and I was going to these meetings and people would say, “Danny, glad to meet you. I loved Groundhog Day. Of course, we can’t make it,” and I would say, “Of course.” And nobody ever explained to me why and I didn’t ask why not because I was trying to just go along, get along to accept the industry on its own terms and they’d say, “Well, but what else have you got?” or, “We’ve got this list of ideas. See if you like any of those,” and then I got a couple of jobs and I was on my way and it wasn’t until my agent quit to become a school teacher, that I found myself without an agent, but I had this spec script that I was sending around to try and get a new agent and that’s how that script wound up at CAA with Richard Lovett.

He called me and said, “I love Groundhog Day. Of course we can’t represent you.” And I said, “Of course,” and he said, “But I have a client who I think might like this. Can I give it to him?” and he sent it to Harold Ramis and that’s how the movie got set up.

Remember: Reading scripts is one of the most important single things you can do to enhance your understanding of the craft of screenwriting. So download Groundhog Day, read it, and join in the conversation.

For Part 1, a general discussion of the script, go here.

For Part 2 about structure, go here.

For all of the other screenplays and commentary in the GITS Script Reading & Analysis series, go here.

NOTE: THE USE OF THESE SCREENPLAYS IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.

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