Source Code vs Groundhog Day

The only problem anyone ever has with Groundhog Day is a pre-existing bias against Andie MacDowell. I think MacDowell is beautiful, and fine in Groundhog Day. Besides, who better to be in a movie where the same thing happens over and over than an actor who is always basically the same? The most important thing to remember about Groundhog Day is: it is perfect. Andie MacDowell is in Groundhog Day? She’s perfect. End of argument.

My favorite scene in Groundhog Day is after the first day, when Phil (Bill Murray) and his crew are stuck in traffic during a blizzard. Phil gets out of the van to talk with a cop and see if they can get past the barricade and back to the city. Bill Murray shivers and stutters through his dialogue, while snow collects on his hair and clothes. Groundhog Day raises philosophical questions, is full of existential themes, and is thoughtful and smart. Feel free to watch it for those reasons. Or, if you please, watch Groundhog Day because it’s goofy and hilarious, and because Murray does a lot of variations on his fantastic voice, which makes you* smile because Bill Murray’s voice is the voice you* try to do when you talk to animals and little kids.

*Me.

Source Code is the latest movie to feed from Groundhog Day’s perfection. It succeeds, surprisingly well, by anchoring Groundhog Day’s fluke scenario-loop in science fiction, by having two engaging leads, and through pure abandon in its portrayal of fantastic bullshit.

Jake Gyllenhaal is Colter Stevens, OR SO HE THINKS. He wakes up on a train, sitting across from Christine (Lovely Girl-player Michelle Monaghan), who apparently shares a daily commute with him, and thinks his name is Sean. They have a confusing conversation, Christine takes a call, someone spills coffee. In the restroom, Colter sees a different, non-movie star face in the mirror, and freaks out. Someone leaves a wallet. A guy talks on his phone. Another has a bike. The train explodes. Colter awakens again, this time inside some kind of pod, connected via monitor to Goodwin, played with authority by Vera Farmiga. Here, “played with authority” means Vera Farmiga has begun the Joan Allening process, and better have a sit-down with her agents immediately. If she’s not vigilant about this shit, she’ll be playing a judge in a few years. Farmiga is as good as possible, stuck with a character who hardly ever stands or even turns profile. She explains as little as possible to Colter, and us. He’s a soldier, assigned to “Source Code”, which enables him to enter the identity of one of the train’s passengers, with the intent of seeing the events through those eyes, finding the bomb and bomber, as a way of preventing the next attack, which is pending. He only gets eight minutes (just because. Quit asking questions.) Colter isn’t supposed to keep the train from exploding, and couldn’t anyway. His task is stopping the next, bigger tragedy.  If he fails, he starts over, at the exact same moment. Luckily for Colter, he retains his memory of the situation and surroundings every time he jumps back to the train (I lost count. The events reboot a lot.). Unluckily for his results-driven cohorts on the other side of the webcam (including Jeffrey Wright as a scientist easily twenty years older than the actor playing him), each jump brings Colter closer to the charming Christine. What if he could stop the bomber, but also save Christine? Keep in mind, in those initial trips, Colter doesn’t just disappear at the end of his eight minutes. The train explodes first, spectacularly, shockingly, over and over. So even though Colter’s job is clearly explained up front, it’s understandable why he might want to bend the rules some, and try and accomplish an extra goal or two.

Source Code is a quick, fun movie. The quick part is important, because the more questions you think of, the less plausible Source Code becomes. You’ll figure out most of the plot twists a scene before Colter does, which I blame on M. Night Shyamalan. He’s taught us that thrillers contain tricks, and that we need to be on the lookout from the opening scenes. Mostly, it works anyway, thanks to the chemistry and calm between Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan, and to Source Code’s director, Duncan Jones. He made the superior, weirder, and less fun Moon, and takes a similar path with Source Code. Technology is explained only when necessary; we understand early on that the characters are intelligent and well-trained, so obviously questions are at a minimum (Colter has lots of questions, but is denied answers to protect his mission and the plot). In an early scene, Colter’s pod malfunctions, dropping the temperature, and leaving him stuttering and covered in frost. Colter Stevens is reliving the same moments over and over, just like in Groundhog Day. I think I know Duncan Jones’ favorite scene.

Source Code: B

Groundhog Day: A