Hornby and the Relation to Groundhog Day (The Movie)

Throughout the script, How I learned to Drive, there is a constant repeated use of the title “You and the Reverse Gear.” This repeated motif does not only reflect the overall motif of driving, but also foreshadows the upcoming scene that is about to take place. By titling the scene “You and the Reverse Gear,” Vogel prepares the audience for what is about to happen in the upcoming scene. Vogel hints to the audience that the scene that is about to be played is taking place in the past. This is accomplished through the audience’s association with driving. The audience understands that to reverse means to go backwards, thus the audience is able to understand that the following scene is going backwards in time, to the past.  Although not every scene is the exact time period, each scene varies on time; but still deals with a point in Li’l Bit’s past.

In the movie Groundhog Day, the main character, Phil Collins, finds himself stuck in a time loop, repeating the same day over and over again. It is this time loop that is a motif played throughout the movie. Although Phil changes his day-to-day routines, he is constantly brought back to the same point in time at the start of the next day. This action of repeating the same day is why the time loop can be considered a motif in the movie Groundhog Day. Even though the detailed action changes everyday, the overall action is constantly being repeated throughout the entire movie. At certain points in time during the movie, Phil can be seen having the same exact conversation, with another character, he had the day prior. This is just a smaller instance of a motif being repeated throughout the movie. Not only does this smaller motif repeat, but it reflects the overall motif of a time loop.