The Hobby: Tales from the Tabletop

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The Hobby: Tales from the Tabletop

2025

1h 32m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

85%

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13 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Filmmaker Simon Ennis examines the massive subculture of modern board games, featuring personal stories of competition, compulsion, creativity and connection.

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Brad Wheeler

Globe and Mail

Jun 21

A film of unfulfilled promise that frustrates as much as it charms. Like an annoying Monopoly player, director Ennis refuses to play by the rules.

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Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

03/16/2024

“The Hobby” feels flat and repetitive, banking too much on quirky characters instead of having anything to say about why they love what they love or this unusual subculture.

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Matthew Monagle

Austin Chronicle

03/13/2024

Do you believe in life after Monopoly? The filmmakers behind 'The Hobby' certainly do.

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

Jun 19

3.5/5

The Hobby: Tales from the Tabletop is a sweet-natured, earnest doc that finds the humanity in a group of quirky characters and the simple pleasures of companionship and community.

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Courtney Small

Exclaim!

Jun 19

6/10

'The Hobby' may suffer from trying to be too many things for too many people, but there is an undeniable charm to Ennis's film.

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Andrew Parker

The Gate

Jun 18

7/10

Offers both hardcore board-gamers and the uninitiated a warm hearted overview of one of the world’s oldest and most beloved pastimes.

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Ben N

@Bneffer Jan 19

I'm a fan of the hobby of board gaming, and appreciated seeing many names from the industry talk about their history with games and reasons for being in the industry.

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David D

@David2026 Oct 16

A heartfelt and warming look at another interesting sliver of humanity. Being at least mildly interested in board games is probably useful.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jun 20

Real footage in 1 hour and 32 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Simon Ennis

Director

Dan Corbett

Self

Irving Finkel

Self

Kim Roberts

Producer

Tina Pehme

Producer

Justin Rebelo

Producer

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Simon Ennis examines the massive subculture of modern board games, featuring personal stories of competition, compulsion, creativity and connection.

Director: Simon Ennis
Producer: Kim Roberts, Tina Pehme, Justin Rebelo
Distributor: Brainstorm Media
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 20, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 10, 2025
Runtime: 1h 32m