Directed by:
Jason ReitmanScreenplay:
Jason ReitmanCinematography:
Eric SteelbergComposer:
Rolfe KentCast:
Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith, Clark Gregg, J.K. Simmons, Brooke Smith, James van der Beek, Tom Lipinski, Maika Monroe, Brighid Fleming (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
LABOR DAY centers on 13-year-old Henry Wheeler, who struggles to be the man of his house and care for his reclusive mother Adele while confronting all the pangs of adolescence. On a back-to-school shopping trip, Henry and his mother encounter Frank Chambers, a man both intimidating and clearly in need of help, who convinces them to take him into their home and later is revealed to be an escaped convict. The seemingly scary man shows a strong domestic side and, in just a few days, develops a deep bond with both Adele and Henry. The events of this long Labor Day weekend will shape them all for the rest of their lives. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (8)
A fairly interesting story, but in my opinion, somewhat brought down by the perhaps overly calm acting. Kate literally radiates emotions, but Josh Brolin's character could have been even more ambiguous, even tougher. In the end, it's quite an interesting romance, but it still drags a bit to really pull you in and hit you with the ending.
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Not many films today can boast such precise, focused direction. Every look of the actors, every shot, has its place. This is a long way from the "red library", as some here write. Of course, some naysayers might find it there, especially in the final climax, but there's nothing to be done about that. Kate Winslet is fantastic Josh Brolin’s charisma is enormous.
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Jason Reitman is excellent at capturing the chemistry between people on screen through skillfully edited shots of the main characters and their body language. He was able to do this in his earlier films, especially in Up in The Air. Essentially, this one a very similar conversation, just set two decades earlier and with the difference that this time the main characters know exactly what they want, whereas in the previous film they had to figure it out first. Perhaps this takes away from the realism a bit and it falls into the realm of fiction (in terms of execution and storytelling), but Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet have charisma. It's a pity that the second half of the film is predictable, because the initial conversation was very enjoyable.
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A whiny, drawn out, and incredibly uninspiring spectacle like something from the Sparks, where I had to spend the whole time thinking about my vacation starting the next day so I wouldn't eat my arm out of boredom. It embodies virtually every aspect of cinematic evil – guilt, fatalism, mistrust breaking into love, becoming a man, soft lights – and it's got practically zero budget. Better to read the book instead. A different one, that is.
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Labor Day offers a believably written story of two people who thought they would never find love and happiness in their lives, but fate gave them a few days together that changed both of their lives from the ground up. The film stands above all on the performances of Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin, who were brilliantly seconded by the young Gattlin Griffith. Thanks to flashbacks, we slowly uncover the sad story of the two main characters and basically have no idea how things will turn out for them until the very end – a big plus for the unpredictability of the plot. Through the character of Henry, alongside the love storyline, the film offers a coming-of-age tale and seeing the world through a child's eyes, which is not as black and white as it might seem. Although the film has a slower pace at first, it doesn't get boring, and in the last third the atmosphere could almost be cut with a knife at times.
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