Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Labor Day (2013)
Cast:
Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith, Tobey Maguire, Tom
Lipinski, Maika Monroe, Clark Gregg, James Van Der Beek, J.K. Simmons, Brooke
Smith, Brighid Fleming, Alexie Gilmore, Lucas Hedges, Micah Fowler
Director: Jason
Reitman
Synopsis: Young
Henry Wheeler’s (Gattlin Griffith) painfully fragile mother, Adele Wheeler
(Kate Winslet), suffers from depression and anxiety after Henry’s father left
her some years ago. While on a back-to-school shopping trip, injured and
suspicious-looking Frank Chambers (Josh Brolin) coerces them into taking him to
their home, where a news anchor on the television makes clear his real
identity: an escaped convict facing 20 years for murder. After hiding out for
the night, Frank begins to do chores around the house, cook and clean, and even
teach Henry to catch a baseball, quickly proving his benevolence to Adele, who
begins to fall in love with him.
Reviewer’s
Rating: 3.5/5 Reels
Review:
Kate Winslet fantastically plays her shaky character who can
no longer perform even menial tasks. Josh Brolin also portrays his character
perfectly, with his ruggedly dangerous appearance and serious composure.
Gattlin Griffith perfectly portrays the pre-teen purity of Henry Wheeler, who,
no longer carrying the burden of caring for his mother, begins navigating the
idea of sexuality throughout the film.
After Adele and Henry feel sure that Frank’s presence does
not threaten them, the plot depicts an unlikely new family battling the police
and the neighbors to live together in secrecy and find happiness. Two people
incapable of facing the outside world, Adele and Frank find joy and comfort together
within the confines of Adele’s small and humble home.
Perhaps the most enthralling aspect of the film is the
tension throughout its entirety. Will Frank violently murder Adele and Henry?
Will he marry Adele and become Henry’s father? Will the police find him and
re-incarcerate him? Will Henry have sex with the cute new blonde girl in town?
The suspenseful questions are endless and persist throughout the film. The
structure of the film, with the interspersed flashbacks to Adele’s divorce and
Frank’s life before prison, lends to its suspenseful storyline. The flashbacks amp up the film, slowly
revealing more and more of Frank’s story as viewers are left dying to know how
he ended up in prison.
Labor
Day’s
brilliant acting and innovative plotline makes it a must-see movie of the year.
Viewers will leave with joy, relief from the suspense they have felt for the
past two hours, and even some new cooking tips. What’s not to love?
By: Kelby Schaeffler
This review leaves the reader engaged as the anticipation you have built is never solidified. Watching the movie is the only way to solve the presented issues. The plot takes a different twist to what I am assuming ends as a love story. But then again I will have to watch to find the true answer. It seems as though the movie comes across as a nail biter, so at least you have confessed to the "corniness" of the film.
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