textual healing: Groundhog Day review

when I get that feeling
I want textual healing...

von Roger Eberts "Groundhog Day" Great Movies essay

Roger Ebert has in recent years been criticised a lot for giving to many movies a favorable review, and just not being as good as he once was. Those criticisms might be right, but no one can deny his quality and influence as critic. With respect to knowledge of form and history of movies, width of interest and curiosity in independent and foreign movies (see: overlooked festival) as well as hollywoodmainstream, enthusiasm for movies even after four decades of reviewing them, and accessibility of style there are few that can hold their own against him.
His background as reporter is can also be seen in his reviews: far from being just a consumer guide with a 4star-rating system and his thumbs, he is first and foremost a reporter with movies as his beat: he reports what he sees, hears, feels and thinks and often times he will reflect on the how and why of his job.
As is the case in this "Great Movie"-essay where he acknowledges that although he had given "Groundhog Day" a favorable review as he had enjoyed himself, he didn´t see its greatness. And if there is a movie that isn´t as apparantly great as "Citizen Kane", it grows on you - as Ebert points out so rightly. This by far isn´t his best essay, but as maybe with the movie itself, the depth of his insight into movies, his sometimes even poetic appreciation of this great artform (see the last sentence for that), can easily be overlooked in the rustle and bustle of watching so many movies, reading so many reviews and other news items, and the daily grind of everyday life (the movie has a lot to say about that, too).