(From the Fall 2003 issue of Kitsch Magazine)

In a particularly memorable scene from the movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray’s character, upon realizing that he is destined to relive the same day over and over again and that his activities will therefore have no impact on his life, goes to a restaurant and orders everything on the menu. His dining partner, played by Andie MacDowell, watches in disgust as Murray proceeds to shovel food into his mouth. The audience shares MacDowell’s discomfort, but at the same time one cannot help but be envious of Murray’s ability to eat whatever he wants with no concern for the consequences (aside from, perhaps, a nasty stomach ache). In a life bound by restrictions on how much pleasure it is “prudent” for one to experience, there is bound to be a fascination with what one would do if today’s actions didn’t matter tomorrow. Asking someone what he would do if he learned he had only twenty-four hours left to live brings out the best and the worst of humanity: some say they would gather all of their loved ones together and tell them all how important they are; others say they would rob a convenience store and use the money to pay a sniper to kill the guy who made fun of them in seventh grade. There is one constant: almost everyone knows what he would choose as his last meal, or has at least given it some thought.
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