The point of Groundhog Day is, as I see it of course, that a jaded, cynical meteorologist learns to be a better person when he is forced by mysterious forces (the gods of cinema!) to relive one day. We see scenes from many repetitions of this day in the movie but certainly less than a year worth of days. The experience is ultimately the opposite of a descent into anything but more like an exaltation (and thus a defense in the face of wearied skepticism) of humanity's capacity to change for the better.