Groundhog Day Page #6

INT. THE CAR - CONTINUOUS

Phil is getting annoyed as the phone connection deteriorates.

The snow is getting heavier. Phil switches on the windshield

wipers.

PHIL:

Sabrina ? Can you hear me? Sh*t!

He slams the phone back into it's cradle, then looks up and

notices slow traffic up ahead. He honks his horn as the

traffic comes to a complete stop. He keeps honking but nothing

moves.

He rolls down the window and looks up ahead. The highway is a

parking lot.

PHIL:

No. No!

EXT. THE CAR - CONTINUOUS

Phil jumps out and begins to walk down the highway, past the

parked cars, shivering in his light sweater and silk sport

shirt. The snowfall is getting heavier and the wind is pickin

up. The snow comes down unnaturally hard and fast. He walks

on, slipping and sliding in his expensive loafers until he

j comes to a police roadblock up ahead, manned by TWO HIGHWAY

"J PATROLMEN.

PHIL:

What's going on, Officer?

-22-

PATROLMAN:

Nothin's goin1 on. We're closin1

the road. Big accident up ahead.

Blizzard movin1 in.

PHIL:

What blizzard? A couple of

flakes! An isolated phenomenon

of nature.

PATROLMAN:

Are you nuts? We got a major

storm movin' in.

PHIL:

No, no. All that moisture is

going to miss us and hit

Harrisburg.

PATROLMAN:

Pal, you got that moisture on

your head.

PHIL:

But I have to get to Pittsburgh

today!

PATROLMAN:

Mister, the only place anybody's

goin' on this road is back to

Punxsutawney.

Phil glowers at him and shivers.

CUT TO:

INT. GAS STATION - LATER

Phil is on a pay phone. Snow is falling heavily outside.

GAS STATION ATTENDANT is shovelling around the pumps.

PHIL:

So all the long distance lines

a re down? What about the

sa tellite? Is it snowing in

space?...But I have to call

Pittsburgh...Isn't there some

special line you keep open for

emergencies or for

celebrities?...Well, I'm both

really. I'm a celebrity in an

emergency. Can you patch me

through on that line?

-23-

The door opens and Phil is blasted with frigid Arctic wind and

blowing snow. The GAS STATION ATTENDANT enters the tiny office

and in trying to squeeze past Phil accidentally bangs him on

the head with his snow shovel.

CUT TO:

INT. HOTEL BAR - EVENING

Phil is at the bar in Punxsutawney ' s oldest and best hotel , the

Pennsylvanian. He looks very bored, drinking a beer,

unsuccessfully hustling an attractive local girl named NANCY.

PHIL:

You never saw me on TV-- on the

news?

NANCY:

I don't think so. What part of

the news do you do?

PHIL:

I ' m the White House correspondent

for NBC news.

NANCY:

Oh , I ' m so sure .

PHIL:

Ask me anything?

NANCY:

Okay, how big is the White House?

PHIL:

Three bedrooms, two and a half

baths. Looks much bigger than it

, is.

Nancy just stares at him, clearly not into his sense of humor.

Suddenly, a BRIDE in full white wedding gown and veil rushes

into the bar, crying and shouting. A gaggle of BRIDESMAIDS

flutters around her trying to coax her back to her own wedding

but she won't budge. Then the GROOM, wearing a bad rented tux,

comes storming in and tries to drag her back, until the BEST

MAN restrains him and the bridesmaids hustle the bride away.

Phil watches the whole drama play out, then turns back to

Nancy .

PHIL:

Good start. I ' m sure they'll be

very happy. So what do you say?

You want to play doggie obedience

school with me?

-24-

NANCY:

Thanks. I'll pass.

She gets up to leave.

PHIL:

Sit! Stay!

He watches her go, then tosses a tip on the bar and exits

somewhat unsteadily.

CUT TO:

INSERT - A THICK BOOK

The cover reads "101 Curses, Spells and Enchantments You Can Do

at Home." A well-manicured feminine hand opens the book to a

marked page .

INT. CHERRY STREET INN - NIGHT - SAME TIME

Phil enters his room and drunkenly tosses his overcoat, scarf

and gloves on the floor in a heap.

INT. STEPHANIE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Stephanie Decastro, Phil ' s disaffected ex-lover, is sitting

cross-legged on the floor with the book of curses open in front

of her. Her hair is down, she's wearing a caftan with a Zodiac

print, there are candles everywhere and other vaguely occult

decorating touches.

INSERT:

Phil's business card is dropped into a dish. Then the Tarot

card of the Hanged Man, a chicken bone, and a feather are

placed on top of it .

PHIL:

He stands at the sink, looking at himself in the mirror,

flexing his muscles .

STEPHANIE:

Reading from the book> she mutters incantations in a secret

language, then she sprinkles some powder on the plate, then a

few drops of oil. Then she makes a few passes over it with her

hands and, much to her surprise, the contents of the plate

spontaneously combust.

PHIL:

As he crosses to the bed, he accidentally knocks over the

suitcase stand, spilling his clothes out onto the floor.

-25-

He contemplates picking them up for a moment, decides to leave

them there, and flops down on the bed. He lies there looking

u up at the ceiling until the room starts to spin around, then

he closes his eyes and quickly drops off to sleep, still fully

clothed.

STEPHANIE:

To complete the spell, she picks up a broken wristwatch and

drops it into the fire.

INSERT:

Phil's business card, the Hanged Man and the broken watch in

flames. The watch crystal is cracked and the hands are frozen

at 5:
59.

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