Alright, I see how the video makes its well formed and entirely accurate claims and also from where they draw their conclusions.

I however interpreted the film as a portrayal of a private hell that Phil lived through, "the end of a very long day". Phil is not shown interacting with Rita on the final day earlier in the day, he is however shown to be capable enough to seduce and entrance someone, several people in fact.

Phil and Rita had short but intense romance because Phil programmed himself to create the correct situations to occur in order to pull her from the set he himself created.

Phil is quite the ladies man, though I doubt their romance lasted too much longer after the credits rolled as Phil no longer was writing the story.

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Also,

My mother and I used to theorize while watching this movie and have come up with our own interpretation: The film is actually about Ned. RYERSON! He is some sort of witch who enchanted Phil because he wouldn't buy insurance from him, Phil was also an ass so Ned formed a plan to punish him. Phil is released from his hell when during the evening of the final day when he buys every type of insurance from Ned possible. This pleased Ned enough to have a change of heart and free Phil.

When it comes to Phil and Rita we do see what happens when he tries to engineer the perfect date. She can see through him.

Groundhog Day (Clip 2) - Repeated Slaps Sequence


Phil changes the scenario, but until he hits that nadir, he never really changed who he was. He's reached the limit of the vices he can indulge. So he self destructs, over and over again. Then he starts doing something else. Self improvement. Kindness. Sure it scratches an itch, sure he already exhausted the other side of the coin. It seems different though, because at this point he believes he is never going to see tomorrow. Just today, for eternity. And for today, he will ensure that all will be right with his part of the world.

Phil doesn't have prescience anymore, so he wont be saving falling kids at the last minute. But he's become the person who would run hell for leather if he can see it in time. Being a genuinely good person can be a habit you develop, even if your balls to bone a bastard.

I think Rita responds to the new person Phil has become. Not that it guarantees anything. But if it fails it won't be because Phil can no longer relive today.

He's become an authentic person. That's no guarantee of anything, but he's got a lot more going for him now than one good date night.

Interesting theory about Ned.

Technically applies to several people in the town though. All of the people that he helps on the last day he probably didn’t help (would have been a waste) at any point of his imprisonment. If I recall, the mayor chokes to death in a restaurant and only on the last day is Phil shown saving him.

I had played with an idea that the groundhog was causing it a la “seeing his shadow, 6 more weeks of winter, repeat this winter forever” with Phil being the “shadow” on the first day. It isn’t until he gives a rousing speech, on the last day, that the groundhog isn’t scared by Phil and so the “winter” stops.

Yeah, we recognized pretty early on that our theory could apply to anyone.

It's just more fun for us to use Ned. RYERSON!

She had a pretty awesome day with him, he's charming and attentive as hell, I'd totally have fallen in love with him.

Great movie. Every time you watch it you get something you didn't before. I never realized til now that Michael Shannon was in it!

"explores the relationship between Rita and Phil and why Rita had no reason to fall for Phil" I can totally see why it was plausible.

There’s a lot that could have happened “between the panels” so to speak. They leave the party, he ice sculpts, they go back to his room. Presumably things happen in between, including him possibly telling her he’s been trapped in a day forever and that’s why he knows everything about her and the town (which is what created a previous day she spent the whole night with him).

At the dance she asks him what's going on, he asks her if she wants the long version or the short version, she says "let's start with the short" - then, just before the MC announces the start of the bachelor auction, we see them in the crowd talking to each other but don't hear them. So he could have told her any number of things then, plus whatever happened in the scene ellipses you mention.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but he never tried breaking into the following day by staying awake all night.

I think he does. Rita stays up with Phil and the clock strikes midnight. She’s all excited and he goes “I never said midnight”, she responds “You knew I was waiting for midnight!”. They fall asleep, he wakes up, looks longingly and tucks her into the bed. He then looks over at the clock. 5:59. Click. 6:00. He opens his eyes and looks to his left. Rita is gone. The day repeats.

You've solved it, Phil is lazy.

We won't find out until we grow.

It's an interesting perspective, but now that I've watched it I'm not convinced that it undermines the outcome at all.

In the van on the way there he's grouchy - which means he's not trying to flirt with her (aside from one half-hearted remark about his pelvic tilt) and he's not acting smitten, which is probably how lots of guys are around her. A bit of a bad first impression, but it makes him more distinctive and it sets her expectations low for later.

The next time she sees him he gives a great, heartfelt speech for the camera, then he politely declines her invite to coffee (he's not super available or eager for her company). She doesn't see him again until the party, where he demonstrates his excellence on the piano, is clearly interested but very smooth with her, and is the object of lots of fawning attention from the locals, which he handles with grace and modesty. This is a man of surprising competence and mystery. The bachelor auction seals it - he's dragged onstage by another single woman and there's a fierce bidding war, so it's no surprise that she jumps in to claim him, he's obviously in high demand and has lots of hidden depths she'd like to know more about. The one maybe false note is when he tells her he loves her, which from her perspective must seem premature (note that she just replies that she thinks she's happy too). On the whole though it's a great romantic evening with someone who is:
(a) not desperate for her attention
(b) not afraid to disagree or be grouchy in front of her
(c) excellent at many things
(d) interested in many people but
(e) clearly more interested in her and
(f) clearly interesting to lots of other people, yet
(g) pretty humble about it
(h) not trying too hard (well, the snow sculpture maybe)

Honestly, it's hard to imagine her not wanting to know more about him, unless she just doesn't feel any chemistry with him.