12:01

I put a tape in the video machine one night to record this unknown film called "12:01" - the synopsis in the TV guide seemed interesting. I kept that tape for months, watching it over and over, just to see the subtle changes in each day being lived again. Brilliant.

Everybody seems to rave about how "original" Groundhog Day was/is but I saw "12:01" on UK TV well before Groundhog Day even hit the cinemas over here. "12:01" may have been a low-budget TVM and may have its flaws but the concept of the day after day scenario is just as good.

The sad thing is that I actually logged on tonight to order both "12:01" and Groundhog Day but I can't find a UK supplier of "12:01" and it would be such a shame if it were never seen again.

SPOILER: Barry Thomas is having one. The really bad news is it keeps coming back.

Barry starts out as a likable, well-intentioned goofball marking time in a dead-end job. Underutilized, doing his best but going nowhere fast under the heel of the department head from Hell. A lot of people can empathize when he writes on his calendar: "Get new job or die!" Jonathan Silverman does a good job as Barry, making him sympathetic (maybe a little pathetic, as well) and vulnerable, but his unique circumstances eventually bring out a steely determination born of sheer frustration.

Unlike "Groundhog Day," there's a lucid explanation for why this is happening to Barry and the film revolves around how he tries to "get off the hamster wheel," as he puts it. "Groundhog" seems to offer an almost divine explanation, that all would progress once Bill Murray's character got things right. Barry was trapped in a self-perpetuating science experiment gone awry and he knew early on how to get out of it. Too bad it's easier said than done.

Helen Slater basically reprises the role she played six years earlier in "The Secret of My Success." Attractive, driven, young prodigy, brilliant beyond her years, emotionally cold in the beginning, worshiped from afar by a kind, wisecracking young man who eventually wins her heart and turns her into a giggling schoolgirl.

The plotting is intricate and it's fun to watch how each cycle changes even without Barry's direct intervention. Some things, like the coworker getting splashed with hot coffee, seem unavoidable in the grand scheme.

The editing in the home video edition is exceptionally fluid. Unlike most TV-movies available on tape or laserdisc, it's nearly impossible to remember where the commercial breaks were.

Still, if there were one flaw, it would be that Barry should have waited through one more cycle before breaking out. He'd only gone through four or five repetitions; one more wouldn't have been so bad. Getting out when he did left one of the good guys irrevocably dead.

It's interesting to see how many of this cast went on to NBC comedies. Silverman went on to star in two seasons of "The Single Guy." Paxton Whitehead and Robin Bartlett had recurring roles in "Mad About You." And Helen Slater had a guest role as a pyromaniac on "Caroline In the City," finally playing a role other than harmless ingenue.

One possible in-joke. Lisa confides to Barry that her favorite music is from the Carpenters. Coincidence? Or was this story originally called "Yesterday Once More"?SPOI

Don't let the premise fool you into thinking this is a rehash of Bill Murray's movie - this is a GREAT little story unto itself. It's closer to Office Space & Back to the Future than to Groundhog Day.

With a well-constructed plot & engaging characters, you can ignore the obvious writing & cinematography constraints of working on a TV budget. Watch for the pearls: Jeremy Piven & Marin Landau will sneak through with their organic performances if you're not paying attention. But everyone from the office dominatrix to the wiry assassin are well-developed; I even felt like "Mom" was part of the cast! So what IS the story about? A hard-working downtrodden everyday guy with a little tardiness problem. On the day that he FINALLY works up enough nerve to talk to the office cutie that he's had a crush on for longer than his mother can stand, she gets killed. And he has to watch it happen. ...again. And if he doesn't figure out what to say & do, he'll have to keep watching it. But the key is to figure out who ELSE is watching her, and why his interest in her has caused our hero to wake up Tuesday after Tuesday after Tuesday...

12:01 is definitely worth watching again, and again, and again, and...

This is my my second movie I saw where the day keeps repeating. The first one was a short on Showtime. It was a serious flick. In that one, it was worse; in that movie the same HOUR kept repeating as opposed to the same DAY repeating, not to mention that that flick was NON-comedy. Anyway, I was glad to see that that this film had some comedic elements. I like to find my favorite line in a movie. In this one, it would have to be where his mom calls, and Barry tells his mom "I can't talk right now, mom. The day's repeating" and hangs up. I saw it when it ORIGINALLY came on TV, so I don't remember it much, but I do remember I thought it was 2 hours well spent.

On a side note, I saw Groundhog Day after this movie. Groundhog Day is different enough from this movie so you can watch both and not feel like you're having the day repeat. (sorry, COULDN'T resist).

This isn't as good as "Groundhog Day," but it's not bad. I compare it to that film because a similar storyline with each day repeating itself. The main difference in this story is that it's a crime story in addition to the romance, and it doesn't have the likable lead characters the much more famous Groundhog Day had. Here, we get Jonathan Silverman, not exactly Bill Murray. Helen Slater, meanwhile, should have terminated her career after Supergirl. The movie also could have used a little better humor.

Despite all these negatives there is something appealing about the film. Maybe it's just the interesting premise that once it hooks you in, has you to stay just so you can see if the hero is going to make everything right. For that, it gets five points but only a point for the rest. Still, if you see it on TV, check it out.