Hobson's Choice (1954)

Set against the backdrop of 1880s Salford, England, "Hobson's Choice" weaves an enthralling tale of the widowed and tyrannical Henry Hobson. As the proprietor of Hobson's Boots, he lives with his three adult daughters - Maggie, Alice, and Vicky - in a modest flat attached to the shop. Henry's life, steeped in stinginess and dipsomania, revolves around the shop and the servitude of his daughters, whom he forbids from dating, believing them to exist solely for the prosperity of his business. Reluctantly, he begins to consider potential husbands for Alice and Vicky, despite the daughters already having chosen their suitors. However, Henry refuses to offer a dowry, complicating his quest for suitable matches. Maggie, the eldest and most efficient, is deemed too valuable to release and too old to marry. Indignant at her father's dismissive attitude, Maggie hatches a bold plan. She proposes a marriage of convenience to Willy Mossop, the shop's meek, uneducated but highly skilled boot hand. Despite their class differences, Maggie sees an opportunity to defy her father's expectations and force him to treat Willy with due respect. With the threat of taking their invaluable services elsewhere, Maggie leverages the preferences of their wealthy customer, Mrs. Hepworth, who insists on Willy's workmanship. As she maneuvers the tricky waters of her rebellion, Maggie assures her sisters of the safety of their own impending nuptials. Yet, amidst all her calculations, she might have overlooked Willy's own life beyond the shop's confines. When Maggie and Willy finally break away, they ignite a rivalry that puts Henry's business at stake while also embarking on a mission to aid her sisters in marrying their chosen partners. "Hobson's Choice" is thus a riveting exploration of a family's struggle against the shackles of patriarchy, class differences, and the quest for independence, all stitched together by the common thread of their shared lives in the bootmaking business.

Hobson's Choice is a comedy movie featuring Charles Laughton.

Hobson's Choice is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Peacock, Peacock Premium, Plex, Plex Player, Pluto TV, Shout! Factory TV and Tubi TV and it's also available on Criterion Channel, Max and Max Amazon Channel.