It’s become a Super Bowl tradition. Take an actor from a famous movie or television show, and have them recreate one of their iconic roles to sell you a product. In the past, we’ve seen several of these during the big game and 2020 is no different. This year, comedy legend Bill Murray reprises his famous role as Groundhog Day‘s TV weatherman Phil Connors in a commercial for the new Jeep Gladiator.
You can watch Murray relive February 2nd one more time down below:
Murray is once again stuck repeating the same day over and over again in a seemingly endless loop. Only this time, there’s a brand new Jeep Gladiator which has miraculously appeared, ready for him to jump in and take off. “Now that’s different,” he says. But just like in the film, he steals the groundhog and the two take off together.
Murray’s old Ghostbusters pal Harold Ramis directed the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day, which also starred Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, and a young Michael Shannon. A few of his former co-stars even made return appearances for this new ad, too.
Sony Pictures
For the few of you out there who have never seen it (although really, you should get on that), the film finds Murray’s super “over it” television weather guy on assignment to cover the annual “Punxsutawney Phil” groundhog prediction on the winter’s duration. But for reasons unknown, he’s caught in a time loop, reliving the same day over and over, waking up to Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe” every time on the clock radio next to his bed.
When the movie was first released, it was a minor hit but garnered great reviews. And thanks to VHS rentals and endless cable reruns over the next few years, the movie ultimately became a classic and a fan favorite. In fact, Groundhog Day was admitted into the National Film Registry in 2006. This is an honor afforded to only culturally important films, so that says a lot about how great Groundhog Day is.
Originally, Bill Murray wanted Groundhog Day to be a far more serious film. This led to conflict with his director and friend Harold Ramis. Although the movie was a success, the quarrel over the movie led to a falling out for the two longtime friends for over two decades. Fortunately, when Ramis was diagnosed as terminally ill, the two reconciled. It seems in his later years, Bill Murray has become far more comfortable with the legacy of this classic comedy.
Bill Murray is set to reprise his role as Dr. Peter Venkman in the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which is set to come out summer 2020.
Featured Image: Jeep
