Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation

A banker tries to relax with his wife by the seashore despite a myriad of distractions.

Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation is a safe, calculated movie. It’s entertaining without being challenging, and as a result leaves no lasting impression.

Jimmy Stewart is great, and his scenes with Maureen O’Hara are particularly entertaining, but the rest of the supporting cast—particularly those playing his children—leave much to be desired.

Granted, the script by Nunnally Johnson doesn’t give them anything to do besides annoying Stewart, but even still they’re all lacking in the charisma department.

With a running time of just under two hours, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation is much too long. The script doesn’t include much of an arc for any of the characters, and as a result the movie seems to amble on from one setup to the next, with no real sense of momentum. By the time the vacation’s over you’re as ready to go home as the characters.