WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

HotToastyRag Kate Winslet has retreated into seclusion and inner turmoil ever since her divorce from Clark Gregg. She lives with her young son Gattlin Griffith, leaving the house as infrequently as possible and sometimes letting her depression get the better of her, forcing Gattlin to step up and act as the man of the house. On one such excursion to the store on Labor Day weekend, Josh Brolin approaches them. He's bleeding, limping, in trouble, and asks for a ride. The scared, shy Kate agrees and takes him to her house. They soon find out Josh is an escaped convict, but while he holds them hostage, he's unexpectedly kind and brings life back to the house.I absolutely love this movie. From the opening scene, director Jason Reitman sets the pace and environment beautifully for the audience. He gives the film a loving touch, and since Kate and Josh both give the best performances of their careers, I'm sure Reitman gave his actors fantastic direction. He also wrote the screenplay; I've read the book, and Reitman greatly improved Joyce Maynard's original novel.To say I don't usually like Kate Winslet would be the understatement of the year. She's fantastic in Labor Day, as is Josh Brolin. I don't know why they both weren't nominated for Oscars for their thoughtful, multi-layered performances. Hopefully Gattlin Griffith will have a career boost after this film, since it's a treasured commodity to find a child star who can actually act. J.K. Simmons, Brooke Smith, Tobey Maguire, and James Van Der Beek have small but memorable roles in the film, more proof that the Jason Reitman gave everyone fantastic direction.This film has become a staple in my house, one we watch every year in September, and sometimes on Valentine's Day as well. It's romantic, poignant, dramatic, suspenseful, and touching. Bring your Kleenexes and get ready for an unforgettable film this Labor Day weekend.

lisafordeay Labor Day stars Kate Winselt and Josh Brolin and tells the tale of a single mother who helps a convict out as he escaped from prison and is on the run from the cops. The story is told through Winslet's charcthers son who is played by Tobey Maguire and the movie intertwines with Kate's charcther falling for the convict. But will the convict hand himself in after killing his former girlfriend?? or did he kill her at all?Bottom line I though it was an OK movie its not a film I would be dying to see again as my uncle told me about this film and he suggested me to see it. If you are a fan of Winslet or Tobey Maguire than check it outC-

l_rawjalaurence The plot of LABOR DAY is straightforward enough: depressed single mum Adele (Kate Winslet) struggles to look after thirteen-year-old Henry (Gattlin Griffith). Suddenly an escaped prisoner Frank (Josh Brolin) rudely interrupts the rhythm of their lives - although initially frightened of him, both Adele and Henry come to admire Frank as he helps to create a new (and idyllic) family life for them.The plot is a familiar one, exploited for horrific effect in movies such as THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955), but here used to prompt reflection on precisely what constitutes a so-called "criminal" mind. Director Jason Reitman does a fine job of recreating a hot- house small-town atmosphere in Massachusetts, c.1987, where all the inhabitants know one another and keep "dropping in" at unexpected moments, making the job of concealing Frank from prying eyes that much more difficult. Despite the location, it's clear that the residents of this town keep themselves to themselves: when neighbor Evelyn (Brooke Smith) comes to visit with her wheelchair-bound son Barry (Micah Fowler), she literally foists Barry on Adele, in spite of Adele's obvious protests. In this kind of environment, it's hardly surprising that Adele should find Frank so attractive, both physically as well as emotionally.Reitman contrasts the adolescent Henry's reactions to Frank with flashbacks to Frank's troubled childhood. We learn how Frank, despite his obvious virtues, never really had a chance in life - as the child of a troubled family with a murderous secret to conceal, he never really knew what stability was like. Hence his willingness to stay at Adele's, despite the obvious personal risks involved.Henry has a profoundly ambivalent attitude towards Frank's presence. While obviously happy for his mother, he feels somehow shut out from this idyllic family life, a fear that is exacerbated after his conversations with fellow-adolescent Eleanor (Brighid Fleming), whose turbulent background has given her a jaundiced view of parenthood. Henry believes himself to be in love with her (perhaps for the first time), and hence experiences an inner conflict: should he believe Eleanor or trust in his mother?The film does a grand job of analyzing the complexities of these relationships. Reitman's camera-work is intense, with tight close- ups alternating with establishing shots focusing on the claustrophobic atmosphere in which the drama takes place. Given the care and attention paid to setting up the central conflicts, it's a shame that the film's ending has to be so sentimentally tame. We learn what has happened to Henry in the intervening years since 1987; likewise Frank and Adele. Everything seems to go favorably for all them - an outcome redolent of Hollywood at its mushiest rather than a logical consequence of what we have previously seen. We end up feeling rather disappointed, as if we have been somewhat short-changed by a film with such promising beginnings.

jloran-29602 The Film Score is what melded this whole film into brilliance. I cannot believe that the Powers in Place overlooked that. Forget every award but this soundtrack; it wove this tale that kept me engrossed, emotional, entailed; I was be struck!! This has become a favorite along side "The Note Book" and others but even more so. It also struck me as the entire story is told in the perception of the boy. I guess we could tell a entirely different story for the mother and the escaped convict. I would be welcome to all. Brilliant story telling but again: when you tell a story that is static and not visually moving; you better have the goods to grip. This has all the chops because I believe each actor committed to the project and it is felt by me the movie goer. Kudos x 10000 for the Screenplay and the casting. I watch it more than the Notebook.