Call It a Day: Spring Fever or Just Boredom?

Is this worth your Tuesday night?

If you like movies that feel like a stage play where everyone is constantly walking into the wrong room, you’ll probably have a decent time with Call It a Day. It’s for the folks who want something light, slightly fluff-headed, and honestly a little bit dated. If you need grit or high-stakes drama, steer clear, because this is strictly about the Hilton family trying to navigate a single spring day without their sanity completely evaporating.

The whole thing has this bizarre, frantic energy. It’s like the writers realized they had a bunch of characters who were all mildly inconvenienced by life and decided to let them all have their little breakdowns at the exact same time. It reminded me a bit of the domestic chaos in Daddies, though maybe with slightly more tea and fewer actual problems.

The Hilton family circus

There’s a moment where Dad is completely distracted by an actress, and you can just feel the house starting to tilt sideways. The acting is very much of its time—lots of dramatic sighs and people looking pointedly at doorways. It’s theatrical, which is fine, but it makes the whole thing feel like it’s being performed on a stage made of eggshells.

Olivia de Havilland is in this, which is always a treat, but she looks like she’s trying to figure out why the script is making her character care so much about a romance that feels like it’s been over for weeks. She’s great, though. She carries the scenes where the dialogue starts to drag, which happens more than I’d like to admit.

• The tax season subplot is actually the most relatable part of the whole film.
• The youngest daughter talking about Rossetti is weirdly specific and oddly charming.
• Wait, is the dog the most stable character here? Maybe.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even a movie I’d insist you watch twice. But there’s something nice about seeing a family just being absolutely chaotic for no good reason other than the weather changing. It’s a bit like watching a neighbor’s messy garden—you don’t want to live there, but it’s interesting to peek over the fence.

Honestly, the movie gets better when it stops pretending to be about 'spring fever' and just lets these people be the bored, fussy suburbanites they are. It’s a fine watch. Just don’t expect it to change your life or anything. It's just a day in the life, and then it’s over.