Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- warm
- nostalgic
- family movie night
- lazy sunday
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film to be a successful, warm family comedy elevated by James Stewart's appealing performance and Nunnally Johnson's witty dialogue, though some felt its situations misfired.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film presents parents, spouses, children, and grandchildren as recognizable versions of people audiences know, emphasizing character-based humor over exotic situations.
Roger hopes for a romantic getaway, but Peggy assembles the extended family in a faulty California beach house, producing repeated domestic complications.
Roger writes a letter to Peggy describing his true feelings about the vacation, with instructions that it be opened after his death.
Roger clashes with his children's permissive parenting, academic rationalization, adolescent self-consciousness, and television-centered childhood.
Films like Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, and why
Yours, Mine and Ours
classic family vacation comedy built around domestic friction, ensemble misunderstandings, and warm reconciliation
Mr. Hulot's Holiday
observational holiday comedy centered on escalating family chaos, comic inconvenience, and generational exasperation
The Parent Trap
lighthearted mid-century domestic comedy featuring a pressured patriarch, family togetherness, and affectionate satire
Movie Details
- Director
- Henry Koster
- Release Date
- 1962-06-15
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (100)
Cast
- James Stewart
- Maureen O'Hara
- Fabian
- Lauri Peters
- Lili Gentle
- John Saxon
- Marie Wilson
- John McGiver
- Reginald Gardiner
- Valerie Varda
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation about?
- A weary St. Louis banker discovers that an overcrowded California beach vacation can become an unexpectedly funny lesson in family connection.
- What is Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation as measured, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation.
- What did critics think of Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation?
- Critics broadly found the film to be a successful, warm family comedy elevated by James Stewart's appealing performance and Nunnally Johnson's witty dialogue, though some felt its situations misfired.
- Which films are like Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation?
- Films with a similar feel include Yours, Mine and Ours, Mr. Hulot's Holiday, and The Parent Trap.
- How long is Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation?
- Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation?
- In United States, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
