Phil Who Cannot Feel
The central character, a mean-spirited, snarky, solipsistic weatherman from the big city named Connors goes by the name of Phil. To paraphrase a great philosopher of our time: the hero of the film can say his name, but cannot do it. At least not until redemption has arrived. The irony of a guy who steadfastly resists the urge to feel and compounds that injury with the insult of making fun of others who can feel irrefutably informed the filmmakers’ naming decision.
"I Got You, Babe"
The thermostat was set on full that day when the filmmakers had to make a choice of what song would greet Phil when his alarm clock went off every day. In addition to having little evidence of possessing feelings for most of the movie, Phil’s also got nobody. He is not just a loner; he is alone. The irony of Sonny and Cher, is of course, tempered with the sincerity that all along the radio was trying to send a message to Phil with a clue about how to escape his various tortures.
Acceptance Provides Release
“Whatever happens tomorrow, or for the rest of my life, I'm happy now... because I love you.” With those words to Rita, Phil finally accepts his fate with the implicit indication that he is no longer going to rage against his destiny of waking up to the same day for eternity. The irony, of course, is that once he truly accepts that fate, it is no longer his destiny.
The Shadow of the Groundhog
Ironically, the single most ironic element of Groundhog Day may be the legend of the groundhog itself. The folklore suggests that if the groundhog awakes from his state of hibernation and re-enters the outside world on a beautiful sunny day with no clouds, he will see his shadow and instantly return back to into his hiding place for another six weeks. The shadow is an ancient symbol of identity rooted in the fact that it is as singularly individual and unique as your nose or eyes. Nobody can take your shadow from you; it is intractably connected to you and who you are. Phil, however, metaphorically does not see his shadow; he really doesn’t know who he is or what he wants out of life. By groundhog reasoning, then, Phil—the weather man, not the groundhog—should not retreat into his den and shut the world out since he symbolically cannot see his own shadow or the huge silhouette of the chip he is carrying on his shoulder. Subtle irony, but effective.
Old-Fashioned Dramatic Irony
These other examples are situational irony, but Groundhog Day also engages good old-fashioned dramatic irony which has been around a lot longer. Dramatic irony is when the audience shares vital information with a character that other characters are not aware of. Only the audience and Phil know he really is living the same day over and over. This may not seem like an example of irony, but it is.
