Given its popularity, you’ve probably seenGroundhog Day, or are at least familiar with its premise. The classic 1993 movie starsBill Murrayas Phil Connors, a surly weatherman sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities in the tiny town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Phil (who openly despises his co-workers, the festival, the town, and everyone in it) sees his situation move from mildly inconvenient to existentially horrifying once he starts waking up back at the start of the same day, every day, apparently forever, with the time loop affecting no one but him.
Groundhog Daywas a huge critical success and has earned itself a revered status as a ground-breaking cultural milestone. As such, it’s no surprise that many other films over the years have borrowed the basic concept of a character (or characters) experiencing a repetitive time loop, and used that to explore various themes and ideas. And for any fans of time loop fiction out there, that’s just as well. There are only so many times you can re-watchGroundhog Daybefore you start feeling a bit like you’re stuck there yourself—thankfully,there are more than a few must-see movies about time loops where the day repeats itself.
35’Naked' (2017)
Directed by Michael Tiddes
One of the manyzany and chaotic comedy moviesstarringMarlon Wayans,Nakedsees Wayans as Rob Anderson, a man who just had a wild night out the day before his wedding with his best man. However, on the morning of his wedding, he mysteriously finds himself waking up fully naked in an elevator, and as if this wasn’t embarrassing enough, he also ends up in a time loop, forced to relive this embarrassing morning over and over.
Wayans’s style of wild, over-the-top humor lends itself perfectly to a time loop premise, allowing him to fully explore a wide variety of chaotic possibilities and consequences of the time loop. However, what makesNakedeasily one of Wayans' best comedic efforts in recent memory is the genuine emotion that he brings to the table through his relationship withRegina King’s character, Megan. There is a good reason that time loop comedies always tackle the concepts of love, and that no matter how many times someone lives through something, the power of love stays strong forever.
34’Blood Punch' (2014)
Directed by Madellaine Paxson
A high-octane horror thriller fueled by drugs and nightmares,Blood Punchis a stylish, low-budget time-loop film thattakes inspiration from sprawling mystery thrillers with massive stakes and a slow drip of effective reveals. The film follows Milton (Milo Cawthorne), a college dropout who has just broken out of rehab with plans to continue cooking meth at a remote cabin in the woods with his new love, Skyler. However, their life slowly takes a turn for the deadly, made worse when Milton uncovers a terrifying message from himself.
One of Blood Punch’s most effective notions when it comes to its time-loop story is the gradual reveal of not only the fact that its characters are stuck in a time loop, but exactly how long they have been in the predicament. The audience proves to learn alongside the characters, making each impactful reveal and revelation that much more dynamic, as well as amplifying other aspects of the film like the action and violence throughout.
Blood Punch
33’The Incredible Shrinking Wknd' (2019)
Directed by Jon Mikel Caballero
A time loop story with a vital twist; every time the loop repeats, it gets shorter by an hour. What happens when the loop reaches its last hour, then? That’s what Alba (Iria del Río) is worried about. Having set off to a holiday cottage with a group of friends to celebrate her 30th birthday, it soon becomes clear that Alba—who is unemployed, drinks heavily, and still lives with her father—is experiencing something of an arrested development compared to her peers. The time loop might be her opportunity for salvation, but it could also be precisely the opposite.
Unlike mostbinge-worthy time loop movies, this entry doesn’t involve many—indeed, hardly any—actions within the loop that act as signposts or checkpoints for the looping protagonist(s) to adapt and react to. Instead, the substance ofThe incredible shrinking wkndis far more psychological and introspective, deriving from Alba’s different approachesto interacting with her friends and boyfriend. All of them are progressing with their lives in various ways, whilst Alba is robbed of the opportunity to grow at all—she is stuck in a rut, in the most literal way possible. This movie is both tense and thought-provoking thanks to the realism with which it approaches the subject matter.
The Incredible Shrinking Wknd
32’One More Time' (2023)
Directed by Jonatan Etzler
A Swedish comedy that delivers on all the dreams and fantasies of reliving one’s youth and finding a coming-of-age story well into adulthood,One More Timesees 40-year-old Amelia getting the fullest extent of reliving her childhood. After a fateful wish during her 40th birthday, Amelia soon wakes up reliving her 18th birthday back in 2002, experiencing the great teenage life she’d missed for so many years. However, the dream suddenly takes a turn when Amelia realizes that she is stuck in a loop, reliving her 18th birthday over and over again.
While aspects ofOne More Time’s plot, like the return to a younger age with the maturity of adulthood, traveling back to an older generation, and a time-loop, are effective as comedies on their own,combining them gives the film a sense of unexpected individuality. It’s rare to see such a compounding, coming-of-age story of growth affecting a woman who has long since grown out of her teenage years, yet ironically needs to return to them to see the full picture of life and its many values.
One More Time
31’ARQ' (2016)
Directed by Tony Elliott
Asci-fi dystopian thrillerthat sets out to evolve and push the barriers of the time-loop concept to their absolute limits,ARQutilizes every aspect of its small scale to create one of the defining time-loop thrillers out there. The film follows Renton (Robbie Amell), who finds himself stuck in a loop where he wakes up beside his former lover Hannah (Rachael Taylor), when three men break into his room, creating chaos and danger with each loop. They demand Renton to give them the ARQ machine that he’s created, as Renton begins to suspect that the machine is the reason behind the time loop.
Even with a small budget and limited locations, ARQ makes the most out of its minimal budget to createa compelling and multilayered story that grows more complex and intricate as it goes on. Adding in additional wrinkles like Hannah herself getting stuck in the time loop and memories being erased after a certain number of loops, it certainly can get a bit overzealous and hard to keep track of. However, the effective core filmmaking and performances keep the film grounded enough to make it a fun, entertaining time.
30’Meet Cute' (2022)
Directed by Alexandre Lehmann
Acting as a satirical time-loop twist on one of the most classic romantic comedy conventions,Meet Cutetakes the titular staple of the genre and brings it to its absolute extremes. The film follows the quirky duo of Sheila (Kaley Cuoco) and Gary (Pete Davidson), as they find themselves repeatedly meeting each other and having their first day over and over, with Gary’s memories reset each time. It slowly becomes revealed that Sheila has been using her best friend’s time machine to create the time loop, and has been experiencing their first date together for over a month with no signs of stopping.
What starts off as a classic romantic twist on the time-loop story quickly transforms intoan unexpectedly dark comedy about the ethical implications of time travel in the context of a relationship, glued together by a duo of strong comedic performances by Cuoco and Davidson. While the film still keeps its time-loop premise as the core of its structure and story, it isn’t afraid to branch out into other aspects of time travel storytelling, as well as the massive inevitability and length of such drawn-out loops.
29’Haunter' (2013)
Directed by Vincenzo Natali
Taking the classic horror concept of a haunted house and amplifying the scares and overall mystery with a time-loop element,Haunterproves to beone of the most unique supernatural horror movies of the 2010s. The film follows teenager Lisa (Abigail Breslin), who has recently become aware of the fact that she and her family are dead, haunting a house in northern Ontario, stuck in a time loop on the same day they were murdered in 1985. Alongside the help of various other spirits inside the house, Lisa begins to uncover the truth about her death in hopes of saving the next group of victims from a similar grisly fate.
Haunteris one of the mostinventive ghost filmsto have come out in recent memory, completely flipping the very concept and perspective of ghost stories to tell a compelling mystery full of twists and turns. It uses its concept and usage of time to tell a compelling and horrifying story of continuing pain and struggle across generations, as well as the need to look into the past and face difficulties head-on to make a discernible change.
28’When We First Met' (2018)
Directed by Ari Sandel
A classic romantic comedy with a time loop twist,When We First Metfollows the story of Noah (Adam Devine), a man still recounting the memories of the perfect first night that he spent with Avery, the girl of his dreams. However, over the next three years, Noah would find himself in the friend zone, having to wonder to himself exactly what went wrong. Noah soon gets an unexpected second chance at love, however, when he gets a chance to travel back in time and alter that perfect first night and his fate, no matter how many attempts it takes.
While the premise may seem strangely offputting at first, what makesWhen We First Metsuch a commendable and thrilling rom-com experience isthe genuinely great lead performance from Devine. Devine weaves together comedic hijinks and heartfelt emotion seamlessly in a methodology thatworks perfectly not just for a romantic comedy, but for the time loop premise as a whole. It’s all brought together by a deeply compelling message about the sacrifices made in the name of love, as well as focusing on the present instead of dwelling on the past.
When We First Met
27’Christmas Every Day' (1996)
Directed by Larry Peerce
A nostalgic treat for those who remember it fondly andan unconventional Christmas moviefor the whole family,Christmas Every Dayis centered on the egotistical 13-year-old Billy Jackson (Erik von Detten). The teen is forced to relive the same holiday day every single day until he embraces the true meaning of Christmas.
Christmas Every Daytakes audiences through Billy’s misadventures as he repeatedly finds new ways to face the school’s bullyand deal with his annoying relatives. Over time, though, Billy learns a thing or two about the holiday season and what makes it truly special. It’s a family-friendly time loop movie that would be fascinating to rewatch today, despite some of its parts admittedly being dated.
Christmas Every Day
26’Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children' (2016)
Directed by Tim Burton
A filmmaker best known for defying and blending genres,Tim Burtonuses surrealism, dark fantasy, and sci-fi to tell the story ofMiss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The fantasy adventure follows a young boy named Jake (Asa Butterfield), who travels back in time to 1943, to the titular place to fulfill his dying grandfather’s wish, where, under the strict tutelage of Miss Alma Lefay Peregrine (Eva Green), gifted children thrive in a time loop. When Jake realizes that he is also like the rest, he joins forces with them and sets out on a quest to save Miss Peregrine’s home from sinister forces.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Childrenis notable for its distinctive direction style, which is more visual than narrative, and is one ofTim Burton’s most engaging films. Through immersive art design and the foreboding yet thrilling atmosphere,Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Childrendrives a heartwarming message about expressing one’s true self. —Maddie P
