Overview
A comedic romp filled with musical numbers and zany antics as a group of misfits attempts to save a sanitarium through horse racing.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- joyful
- lazy sunday
- classic movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the Marx Brothers' madcap performances, inventive slapstick, rapid pacing, and crowd-pleasing finale, despite some reservations about tonal and stylistic unevenness.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Groucho's fast-talking Dr. Hackenbush repeatedly destabilizes the sanitarium's wealthy clientele and authority figures through insults and improvised schemes.
Hackenbush presents himself as a high-priced physician while secretly holding a veterinary degree.
The protagonists try to save Judy's sanitarium by winning a major horse race with her boyfriend's horse.
Harpo, Chico, and Groucho perform extended slapstick set pieces whose timing and bodily antics drive the film's comic climaxes.
Films like A Day at the Races, and why
Duck Soup
rapid-fire verbal wit, anarchic slapstick, and musical interludes from a celebrated comedy ensemble
A Night at the Opera
classic hollywood musical comedy built around eccentric performers, mistaken identities, and escalating farce
Horse Feathers
screwball energy, absurd social disruption, and a comic ensemble operating at fever pitch
Movie Details
- Director
- Sam Wood
- Release Date
- 1937-06-11
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (241)
Cast
- Groucho Marx
- Chico Marx
- Harpo Marx
- Allan Jones
- Maureen O'Sullivan
- Margaret Dumont
- Sig Ruman
- Leonard Ceeley
- Douglass Dumbrille
- Esther Muir
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, YouTube TV
- 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 A Day at the Races about?
- The Marx Brothers turn a threatened sanitarium, a fraudulent doctor, and a horse race into a delirious MGM musical farce.
- What is A Day at the Races like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Day at the Races as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is A Day at the Races violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in A Day at the Races as mild.
- What did critics think of A Day at the Races?
- Critics broadly praised the Marx Brothers' madcap performances, inventive slapstick, rapid pacing, and crowd-pleasing finale, despite some reservations about tonal and stylistic unevenness.
- Which films are like A Day at the Races?
- Films with a similar feel include Duck Soup, A Night at the Opera, and Horse Feathers.
- How long is A Day at the Races?
- A Day at the Races runs 109 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Day at the Races?
- In United States, A Day at the Races streams on fuboTV, YouTube TV.
