Labor Day-2013

Director Jason Reitman

Starring Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin

Scott’s Review #116

Reviewed July 17, 2014 

Grade: B+

Labor Day (2013) is quite simply a modern love story.

Set in 1987 on a hot Labor Day weekend in New Hampshire, a boy and his mother are approached by an escaped convict pleading for help.

They reluctantly agree and what follows is a weekend of mixed emotions and bonding between the three individuals.

Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin have nice chemistry as the two leads, and although the film felt like it was decorated to be 1987, it looks quite modern.

The woman is divorced and insecure and bordering on being a shut-in. The son is more like the parent, taking care of her, and running errands.

The film is narrated by an older version of the son (played by Tobey Maguire). Questions run through the viewer’s mind throughout the film, which is a major positive.

Can the convict be trusted? Is he guilty or is there more to the story? Is the mother falling for him or pretending to escape?

All the action plays out over one weekend while the town is on high alert and everyone is searching for the escaped con and most of the action takes place in the family home, lending a stage production feel to the film.

There are some tense moments and flashbacks of both the convict and the woman and their lives before meeting so we, as viewers, get to know them well.

Despite their differences, the couple has a rooting value to them thanks to Brolin’s and Winslet’s talents.

Labor Day (2013) is a well-made film that received little recognition.