Harold Ramis’ death is a loss to not only the comedic world, but to an entire way of thinking.His films fundamentally were about the ability of a community to transform a system. Individuality was not repressed; rather to paraphrase Bill Murray talking about Sergeant Hulka (one of my favorite performances by Warren Oates) in Stripes, every foot needs a “Big Toe” to move forward. He poked a stick at the power structure rather than laughing about the dispossessed ripping on each other. His characters banded together, they kicked some ass.Individuality over collectivism led to personal hell. Bill Murray (the perfect Ramis leading man) in Groundhog Day, is trapped in a loop of repetition because of his sheer individualistic egotism. Only once he accepts the value of community can he move forward.
