Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet star in Jason Reitman's Labor Day
Labor Day is based around single mother Adele, Kate Winslet, and her son, Hank played by newcomer Gattlin Griffith. The film is directed by Jason Reitman who brought us Juno, Up in the Air and Young Adult.
Set in 1987, it focuses on Adele who is a shut in, still recovering her divorce, she suffers from severe depression. One day whilst mother and son are at the grocery store, they run in to escaped convict Frank, who chooses them as the (un)lucky targets whom he asks for assistance.
With the whole town looking for Frank, the family are on edge, things start to get a little crampt in Adele's household, especially when Frank sets lingering his eyes on her. With Hank growing up rapidly and finding his feet in the world, and Adele starting to open up to this mystery convict, was his arrival the best or worst thing to ever happen to them? Firstly, this film looks gorgeous. It has a sunny hazy quality throughout.
Voice over by Tobey McGuire feels subtle, but insightful, if not slightly like an after thought? In fact the whole film has a subtle quality to it, it's neither big nor showy. It's a character based piece which allows the actors to shine. Speaking of which, I genuinely believe Josh Brolin is at his best here. He is dark and wounded. I ever really understood the appeal of Brolin as an actor until now. I didn't warm to him in Men in Black 3 as a young Tommy Lee Jones, or in Sin City. This film has made me want to go back through his filmography, maybe i need to give him a chance!
As soon as Brolin appears, the tension is amped up with hint of blood on his Tahiti, the warning hand around Hank's neck. Winslet, as she have proven before, is an expert at bringing empathy to a character. Adele has a dark, clearly painful past which we discovered as the film plays out. Props to Griffith for holding his own against two major stars.
I just wanted to mention the music. It is stifled and at times ominous. It does a great job at setting the feel for the film, as the film escalates, so does the music. My main gripe with the film is some of the characters motivations. For example, I find it hard to believe within one weekend Adele would fall for this man and want to elope, but I guess from the characters perspective, perhaps her time shut away has made her impulsive, unhinged?
Jason Reitman often allows his actors to fill the space, giving them a chance to have real tangibility. I preferred this to far more than Up in the Air, which I found to be pretty overrated. It will not be a cult classic by any means like Juno, but it's entertaining, full of great performances. 7.5/10
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