Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)

Let's be realistic.

Good movie but grossly overrated

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

What happens if you put the 1950s Father character into a 1960s comedy movie? You get James Stewart in Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation. If you don't like the idea of a bumbling, well-meaning dad who doesn't really connect with his family on a vacation in which anything and everything goes wrong, look elsewhere. The rest of you keep reading.James Stewart, in a self-imposed era of no longer playing romantic leads, plays an unhappy hubby to Maureen O'Hara and father to Lauri Peters, Lili Gentle, and Natalie Trundy. When he plans a romantic vacation for just him and Maureen, she takes it into her head to show him the entire family loves and needs him, so all the children, in-laws, and grandchildren are invited to come along. There are endless gags to illustrate the generation gap, and lots of sixties music and dancing to give you a nostalgic kick. I found it tough to get my head around the idea that Jimmy and Maureen were grandparents, but maybe it was just me. Like many comedies from the decade, this isn't one I'd probably want to watch more than once, but it was a little entertaining at the time.

I always watch this movie when I can. There's so many perfect situations in it.Most of the reviews have gone over the family dynamic involved. People nowadays don't know the significance of ground breaking movies in those days. This movie may have been the first glimpse of a reunited family that didn't step out of a Norman Rockwell painting. They have real life problems with finances, fidelity and maintaining a cohesive family unit.There are some perfectly defined moments in the film. Hobbs marveling at a 50 year old light bulb, or the maid quitting because she misunderstood him when he said he was going to get "some sun on the beach".The one scene that chokes me up every time is when Stewart shows O'Hara the $5 bill that Fabian returned to him after the dance.

I'm sure almost all middle-aged male actors in Hollywood made a film like this sometime, but this must be the best. From the warm, sunny opening music (Henry Mancini strikes again!) onwards, it's a real treat. James Stewart breezes his way through this film, and the chemistry between him and Maureen O'Hara goes a long way to making the whole thing so appealing. The mood is light and affectionate and there are a few genuinely touching moments. Only a couple of downers - the dreadful 'Cream Puff' song (what were they thinking?) and Fabian's acting. For some reason, films of this period always had to include a heart-throb pop singer. Despite these small niggles, I love this movie and even though we now have it on DVD, I never miss it if it comes on TV.

There is nothing wrong or bad about this film; the cast is strong, and the writing acceptable. The problem, frankly, is that it is just not that interesting. However, if we approach this film without high expectations, then we can accept it for what it is: a mildly amusing movie that allows us to sit comfortably with two of our all-time favorite actors, Jimmy Stewart and Maureen O'Hara (although, to be honest, Maureen is not that interesting here either). So, if you love Jimmy Stewart, and want to make a point of seeing every movie he is in, then definitely watch this movie. But be prepared to have to put up with unappealing child actors, badly dated 1960's "teen scenes", and a number of other actors and actresses who we never particularly care about. Luckily, very few scenes indeed do not feature Jimmy Stewart.Well, I take some of that back; "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" is saved towards the end by the appearance of John McGiver and Marie Wilson as Mr. and Mrs. Turner, a business couple who make a point of being very dull. They are actually pretty funny, especially McGiver, and the scenes featuring these actors save the whole movie from being a completely dreary waste of time. To be fair, Fabian is not bad either, playing his role rather sympathetically; and the family's 1960 Dodge wagon, with its fantastically distinctive grill, is also cool to see.Particularly annoying is a lengthy sequence in which Jimmy Stewart and his son are piloting a sailboat out of a harbor; this they do with great difficulty, barely missing hitting other boats, and upsetting a water-skier. The problem is, Stewart and his boat are clearly sitting in front of a projection screen. Now I understand that it is much easier and cheaper to film scenes sometimes in front of a projection screen; scenes with people "walking down the street", when they are actually in front of a movie screen showing the sidewalk, are common and harmless enough. But here, the humor of the situation completely depends on us believing that Stewart is hardly able to control his boat, causing several near misses with other boats. The fakeness of the projection is so obvious that the whole scene is just a painfully long (over 2 minutes of this) debacle.The beach scenes are odd too. Valerie Varda, a Hungarian-born actress, has an accent that is definitely not Hungarian (I grew up surrounded by Hungarians, and can pick up the accent across a room). I don't know what the accent is, but it is very hard to follow; she had a blessedly short acting career after this film. John Saxon appears in a bathing suit, with a shockingly well-built body (if I may say so), and it appears that, though he is married to Jimmy Stewart's daughter, he is on the verge of having an affair with Varda; in the end, though, this idea is not pursued.One final note: when Stewart's family enters the massive yet run-down vacation house, Stewart goes to climb the stairs; as he takes the first step, he grabs the large knob on top of the railing, and it lifts right up. He stares at it a moment before replacing it; I have to believe that this moment was intended to pay some minor homage to "It's a Wonderful Life", where a similar stair-railing knob comes to symbolizes the crumminess of Stewart's home in that film.