Labor Day (2013)

My Review

“Labor Day” is a drama film about a divorced woman and her thirteen-year-old son who encounter a man at the grocery story who clearly needs their help. He convinces them to let him stay at their house for a day or two until he can recover from a leg injury. Soon it becomes clear that he is a recent escapee from prison. The heavy drama proceeds from there, tightly directed by Jason Reitman (“Young Adult” 2011). He also penned the brilliant screenplay based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard.

The principal actors deliver brilliant performances: Josh Brolin as Frank the jailbird, Kate Winslet as the divorcee, and Gattlin Griffith as her son Henry. Co-stars include Clark Gregg, J. K. Simmons, Maika Monroe, James Van Der Beek, Brooke Smith, Alexie Gilmore, Lucas Hedges, Micah Fowler, Elena Kampouris, and Tobey McGuire in a cameo as the older Henry and also the narrator. The very watchable “Labor Day” barely broke even at the box office for producer Jason Reitman, Indian Paintbrush, Right of Way Films, Mr. Mudd Productions, and Paramount Pictures.