Labor Day

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Rey P Apr 19, 2019 This feels like a direct adaptation of one of the hundreds of Harlequin romance novels I have read. Our heroine is a single mother who struggles to raise her son, she then meets her bad boy knight in shining armor who takes care of her and her son in a Nicholas Sparksian style. He is hyper-competent and able to satisfy her every need in addition to being handsome and forbidden due to her worry about her son being negatively influenced by a new man in her life. The son's narration is the only thing that stops the film from being full-on â~Mum porn' but it is an odd choice for Reitman to go from the darkly comedic Young Adult (2011) to this â~romance for adults'. The film doesn't work and it is very possible to enjoy it as a campy, cheesy experience meant for a Saturday afternoon. Adapted from the 2009 Joyce Maynard novel of the same name, which I understand got positive reviews, the film is seen through the eyes of 13-year old Henry Wheeler, Gattlin Griffith, as he sees his mentally unstable Mother Adele, Kate Winslet, fall in love with the escaped convict they are housing, Frank Chambers, Josh Brolin. The story behind Chambers' crime may be different to how it has been reported, as it always is in these romances, he also begins to establish himself as a father figure to Henry as he fixes up the house and teaches Henry how to play baseball. But oh no! The police are coming to take the innocent Frank away and he and Adele will be separated for more than a decade, bring out the tissues. Although The Notebook (2004) and a variety of other Nicholas Sparks adaptations, The Longest Ride (2015) and Safe Haven (2013), were major financial successes it is strange in this day and age to see a romantic weepie with major stars. Winslet was fresh off Contagion (2011) and Brolin had recently appeared in Men in Black 3 (2012) so it seems odd that they would sign on for such an untimely project but they have decent chemistry on-screen and although Winslet's accent often slips she is more subtle than either Britt Robertson or Julianne Hough. The coming together of this project would be interesting to study but I will be looking at the product of this strange conception and no surprise this is an odd little film. The most joyfully cheesy scene in the film occurs when Adele, complaining about the ripeness of her peaches (what an odd sentence to type), is surprised by Frank's desire to make a peach pie. Before long he has both her and her son involved and there is a lot of moaning and hand holding that takes place before the pie itself is made. The sight of a 13 year old boy watching his Mother get hot and bothered is quite startling and it is not entirely clear whether Reitman intends for this film to be partly about Henry's sexual awakening or whether this sexual display is meant to fully establish Frank as a father figure. Some of the lines that Brolin spouts, "Why would a man leave a woman like your mother ?", sound like they come from a Danielle Steele novel but the dappled light and Winslet's loose-fitting but stylish wardrobe are all middle-aged romance chic therefore this sort of dialogue fits. I can't deny that I loved these moments both ironically and whole-heartedly because there is a part of me that's a woman. The finale of the film slightly let me down, I wanted more drama and tragedy, but the final scene is nice and the idea of enduring love is sweet if a bit ridiculous. It is this earnestness that carries this slightly mawkish film that is definitely this director's worst through. This is a film that will appeal to sentimental women alone but why shouldn't this market have films that cater to this market, they are large and deserving. My little teenage-girl heart was delighted by some of the more â~romantic' moments and although Josh Brolin isn't particularly attractive, in my opinion, he makes a decent romantic lead to Winslet's obviously British leading lady. See more

Han L Nov 13, 2018 I am surprised by the number of people who didn't care for the movie. For those who lost someone by death or rejection and have closed themselves off to the world thinking it's too painful to risk living again then this movie might stir something in you. The characters are believable and setting authentic. For those who could not relate to the movie, good for you; I hope you do. See more

George W Nov 10, 2018 I loved this movie. I think what drags it down is the soundtrack. Had they lightened it, in certain parts, just a bit, it would have been much more impactful. As is, it takes us down a slow, depressing lane that needed to start that way, but not stay there. Acting was awesome, great story n direction, just crappy soundtrack. See more

Anakin S Jul 15, 2018 Don't listen to anybody. This is a well crafted film with more going on than a simple love story. There is an undeniable tension throughout and Reitman really displays a handle on masterful filmmaking. A truly under-appreciated film. See more

Ron S Apr 7, 2018 hmm; i didn't think this was that bad -- it was cute enough. i was confused to how i should feel about him which made things weird, but i ended up liking it in the end. See more

Kylo W Aug 16, 2017 GREG: (Greg Smith, Founder of Agile Writers of Richmond, VA) Scott, it s not quite summer but it is time to review Labor Day. SCOTT: (Dr. Scott Allison, Professor of Psychology, University of Richmond) It s never any labor to do a review with you, Greg! GREG: It s 1987 and we re introduced to young Henry (Gattlin Griffith) who is about 12 years old. His father has left him and his mother Adele (Kate Winslet) for a younger woman. Adele is a recluse as she suffers from depression. She is afraid to go out in public wanting instead to stay home and avoid contact with the outside world. But occasionally she must venture out to do such things as buying new clothes for Henry as school starts in just a few days. While at the local store, Henry is approached by a strange man named Frank (Josh Brolin) who firmly insists that he get a ride with Henry and Adele back to their house. SCOTT: Adele and Henry bring Frank to their home, but they are clearly afraid of him and then discover that Frank is an escaped convicted murderer. But it soon becomes clear that Frank poses no threat to them and in fact cares for their well-being. He ties up Adele but only briefly so that she can truthfully tell authorities that she helped Frank against her will. Then Frank does all he can to do to help out with chores around the house and yard. Meanwhile, law enforcement personnel searching for Frank begin to close in on him. GREG: Scott, Labor Day is the worst kind of nonsense that we find in trashy romance novels. It shows a hunky dangerous convict with a heart of gold. We assume that he was unjustly convicted and the story bears this out through flashbacks. Frank appears to be a bad man, running from the law, but gently ties his victim to a chair and feeds her chili - so he can t be all bad, right? The heroine in the story is helpless not only in her day-to-day goings on, but also to the dark charms of our hero-villain. This is the sort of drek that sets modern feminism back 50 years. Not only that, but the plot tries to tie-in a coming of age story for young Henry. This sub-plot receives very little attention but is a welcome distraction from the unbelievable love story. The whole movie is slow and plodding and I couldn t wait for it to be over. SCOTT: Greg, I do agree that the premise of Labor Day is a weak one, relying on the formulaic tale of a man wrongly imprisoned who escapes and must prove his romantic worthiness. Women who love to reform a bad-boy will love this film. The performances by Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet are excellent; the only problem is that even their immense talent can t spin screenplay straw into gold. The character of Frank is just a tad too perfect. He fixes things around the house, cleans the dust bunnies under the furniture, repairs the car engine, cooks like an award-winning chef, and is a tender loving caretaker to a child with cerebral palsy. Apparently, the makers of this movie got together and asked, how can we make a convicted murderer and the female lead, Adele, fall in love in only a few days? The answer they came up with was to make him perfect in every way. It just doesn t ring true. GREG: Scott, Frank is a confusing character. On the one hand he is a violent criminal on the run from the law. In most movies that makes him the villain. But on the other hand, he is a hero - acting as a father image to young Henry. He teaches Henry to play ball, and to bake a perfect pie. I ve coined a new word for this type of character - the anti-villain. Just as we have anti-heroes (like Bonnie and Clyde) who start out good and turn to evil, the anti-villain starts out as a villain but shows the character traits of a hero. SCOTT: I don t see the character of Frank as confusing. He s cut from the same mold as Harrison Ford s character in The Fugitive the innocent man victimized by a corrupt and incompetent legal system. We see in flashbacks that Frank had no intention of harming his wife and is in fact a sympathetic character who has suffered more than enough for any wrongdoing he may have done. I do like your characterization of Frank as an anti-villain, as he is a good man who is on the lamb. The problem with Frank as a character is that his perfection is so neatly intact from start to finish that there is no room for growth or transformation. You could argue that Adele shares the hero role with Frank -- she learns to trust and to open her heart again, but as you point out, this reduces her to a tiresome cliche straight from the pages of a cheap romance novel. GREG: I didn t see much growth in Adele. After Frank is taken away, she still is reclusive and is barely able to function. I don t think every woman in films has to be strong and independent. But I don t care for a hero character who is fully reliant on a man to take care of her and make her happy. That s not heroic and that was no kind of transformation. The way this movie was made I felt we were watching something that came out of the 1950 s rather than 1987. Young Henry is taken away from Adele and goes to live with his father. He grows into a fine young man and ultimately returns to Adele s home for his final semester in high school. Aside from growing up, there wasn t much growth for him either. Overall, there wasn t much of a heroic story in this movie. SCOTT: Labor Day is a sweet story of love but suffers from unrealistic characters caught in a contrived and cliched plot. If you like the idea of idealized romance without the messiness of reality to soil it, then this movie is for you. I admit I m a sucker for love stories, even poorly told ones, and I also admire the talents of Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet. For these reasons, despite its obvious flaws, I m willing to give Labor Day 2 Reels out of 5. The hero story here is pretty much non-existent. The hero (or anti-villain, as you aptly describe him, Greg) is a hollow stereotype with no room for growth. His story also lacks many of the classic social elements of the hero s journey, such as the presence of mentors, sidekicks, and father figures. Adele is a sympathetic figure but is hardly heroic herself. Her role is simply to observe Frank s greatness and be affected by it. Sadly, I give Frank, and even Adele, a mere 1 Hero out of 5. The villains are an inconsequential element of the story in Labor Day. The cops looking for Frank are hardly villains, and they exist merely as props to bring the romance between Frank and Adele to life. For this reason, I can only award 1 Villain out of 5. Movie: Villain: Hero: GREG: Scott, we have vastly different views of this film and yet come away with similar scores. Brolin and Winslet do a great job of acting in this film. Jason Reitman s directing is very good. It s just that I really hated the story. I can t get behind a convicted murderer abducting a woman and her son who is really a good guy at heart. A good guy would never have taken hostages - regardless of how well he treated them. What Adele really underwent was Stockholms syndrome - where the hostage begins to side with the kidnapper. If it weren t for the excellent craftsmanship of this film I d have awarded it just 1 Reel. But for good performances and good direction, I give Labor Day 2 out of 5 Reels. Frank comes off as heroic and we pity him his situation. But as far as heroes go, I don t think he measures up. As I just said, no true hero would take hostages. But when you score him on your Great Eight Characteristics, he does pretty well. I give Frank 1 Hero out of 5. And Frank is also the villain, but because he is the romantic interest and father image he doesn t provide any opposition. I give Frank his anti-villain score of 1 Villain out of 5. Movie: Villain: Hero: See more

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