Labor Day

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: December 27, 2013

6.6	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 69 Ratings

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Trev29Sep 13, 2014

Not once did I buy into the romance. Here you have a depressed slug and an escaped "innocent" convict that displays no emotion or humor or anything that would be considered human. I could sense there was supposed to be a lot of tensionNot once did I buy into the romance. Here you have a depressed slug and an escaped "innocent" convict that displays no emotion or humor or anything that would be considered human. I could sense there was supposed to be a lot of tension building, but I could care less. It was pretty stupid, if not completely stupid.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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ThegodfathersonDec 27, 2013

Beneath the dopey plot, there are the performances. Winslet, Brolin and Griffith remain, through it all, very effective. Their profound sadness somehow manages to break through. Out of respect to this I am hesitant to call ‘Labor Day’ and allBeneath the dopey plot, there are the performances. Winslet, Brolin and Griffith remain, through it all, very effective. Their profound sadness somehow manages to break through. Out of respect to this I am hesitant to call ‘Labor Day’ and all out failure. I do, however, recommend almost any other activity for your day off.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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csw12Apr 19, 2014

At times sluggish and boring and other times intense and passionate. A combo that doesn't mix well, which gave the movie an inconsistent feel throughout. Reitman just doesn't give the characters enough personality to make the feelings betweenAt times sluggish and boring and other times intense and passionate. A combo that doesn't mix well, which gave the movie an inconsistent feel throughout. Reitman just doesn't give the characters enough personality to make the feelings between them come alive.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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GreatMartinJan 31, 2014

I very seldom read reviews before going to see a movie preferring to read them after. All I needed to know was that this movie : 1) was a lover story as I am a sucker for them, 2) Kate Winslet was starring 3) as was Josh Brolin, so off II very seldom read reviews before going to see a movie preferring to read them after. All I needed to know was that this movie : 1) was a lover story as I am a sucker for them, 2) Kate Winslet was starring 3) as was Josh Brolin, so off I went.

After reading the critic’s reviews for “Labor Day” I felt they were very unfair and may drive away an audience that would like it. Upfront just let me say that it is not a Must See movie, or a classic, but it is a good old fashioned love story without the ‘F’ word being used or showing sex acts on the screen--that in itself is rare for a film today. Yes it is rated PG-13 for the theme, sexuality in the sense that a man and woman become lovers, very brief violence and, possibly, a bathroom scene. This is a Hollywood film where the woman lead is a neurotic (Was there any other kind in the old love story films?) and the man lead is masculine, caring, loving, a father figure and, in spite of escaping from prison, is an upstanding man.

Kate Winslet plays Adele who is almost catatonic after 3-4 miscarriages and her husband leaving her while her adolescent son, Henry, played by Galttin Griffith, has, more or less, become her caretaker. They are both persuaded, when Adele takes a rare outing to get some new school clothes for Henry, in a somewhat threatening way by Frank, Josh Brolin, who has just jumped out of a hospital after an appendix operation. What kind of movie would it be if Adele said no to athe good looking man.

Within 24 hours Frank makes himself at home in more than one way. He washes and waxes a floor, teaches Henry and a neighbor’s son in a wheel chair, played by Micah Fowler, how to play baseball, looks at a cord of firewood and tells Adele she has been shortchanged, teaches Henry how change a tire but, most important of all, makes chili and feeds Adele spoonful by spoonful and involves her and Henry it making a delicious looking pie! Heck I would want to marry him! Before you know it they are planning to run away to Canada and start a new life as a family.

We also meet Adele’s ex-husband, Clark Gregg, who is married and has a new family and doesn’t pay too much attention to his first born and a new girl in town played by Brighid Fleming who may or may not to be a troublemaker but you won’t find out. She does supply some much needed comedy relief.

The director/writer Jason Reitman errs in making the picture too long by about 10 minutes, introducing a shocking scene between Brooke Smith as the mother and Micah Fowler and then completely ignoring it. He also completely misdirects the flashbacks at times no one never knowing whether it is Adele’s or Frank’s story we are seeing .

Watching Brolin and Winslet is always a treat and they have enough chemistry to make many unbelievable scenes believable. Their faces are so interesting to watch that when you see younger versions of them though they may resemble the adults their faces are blanks.
It is worth seeing if for no other reason to find how they get a ‘happy Hollywood ending’ for “Labor Day”.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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chepod8Jun 14, 2015

No sé que es peor si el hecho de que la traducción del título original (Labor Day) es mala, o el desperdicio de talento aquí mostrado, si la vuelvo a ver creo prefiero dormir.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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lionking2007Feb 7, 2014

This review is more related to the characters and the theme of the movie which I found it quite interesting. I am taking the liberty of looking at the roles of the characters from my own perspective rather than the movie-maker's. I see threeThis review is more related to the characters and the theme of the movie which I found it quite interesting. I am taking the liberty of looking at the roles of the characters from my own perspective rather than the movie-maker's. I see three main characters in this movie- Adele, Frank (escaped convict) and Gerald (ex-husband). Even though the movie-makers may have wanted us to focus more on the first two but I see all 3 of them equally prominent.

Adele is a dreamer. Apparently she did not go along well with her ex-husband, most likely because of her idealistic demands from the relationship; therefore she ends up living an isolated life filled with hardships and lack of protection. Apparently, she takes the legal custody of her son and gives him his share of whatever she chose for herself. The most disturbing thing about her character is the fact that she falls for an escaped convict who has not even talked about his past to her. Interestingly, Frank never reveals to her under what circumstances he gets his sentence, nor does she make any serious attempt to dig into his past but allows herself to be drifted in to a romantic world just because she is impressed by his household chores and man's jobs. What's worse is the fact that she lets her son grow in his company as well and decides to move to another country and live life of an outlaw and chooses the same for her son as well. She doesn't seem to care much about her son's schooling as well. It may look romantic if you are a teenager but it's just so hard to swallow if you are a parent. And, people who think that going to Canada is just like crossing the state line need to know that one cannot cross international border without a passport, and thus without revealing your true identity. That may be actually a flaw in the movie itself.

Frank is an honest man, a victim of circumstance. Wrongfully convicted of something he never did or intended to do. There are many prisoners in the USA who are serving punishments for the crimes they never did. He is a caring guy and brings joy to people around him. He gets his reward at the end of his sentence- company of a woman who he loves.

Gerald is a responsible father and a responsible husband and believer of long lasting relationships. It may seem initially that he is flamboyant because he made an affair with his secretary. But the fact that he ends up marrying her and raising a family with her plus taking care of the children that she brought along with her from her previous marriage, more than clears Gerald's image. He admits to his son that he probably wasn't the 'ideal guy' his mother had dreamt of. So he broke up and got in to a more doable relationship. He plays his role as father well. He takes Henry out with the rest of his family every weekend. He is keen to know who his ex-wife is hanging out with for the sake of his son, and is always there for his son at all the milestones of his life. Gerald is more realistic than emotional and is far happier in his not so complicated world than Adele.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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