Labor Day Review
RYAN: This is a drama/romantic thriller starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. Kate was nominated for Best Actress in a Drama Golden Globe for this performance (she lost to Cate Blanchett/Blue Jasmine) and then all buzz for her and this film dropped off. It hasn’t received any other recognition. I really, really liked it. It’s super-intriguing and complicated, disturbing; but connects to you emotionally. It’s so much better and edgier than any Nicholas Sparks movie…
ERIN: It’s a much more mature, romantic movie. It’s nothing like the simple formula of boy-girl fall in love, then there’s a tragedy. This is more of an unlikely love that turns into something beautiful. You hope for them in this film. I loved it too. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking.
RYAN: Absolutely. You’ll find a lot of people dissing this movie for the pacing and it is slow. It’s deliberate. Some transitional scenes take a long time to get there but I was never bored and the cinematography is so pretty that it all adds to the suspense and atmosphere of the movie.
ERIN: It’s all so anticipatory. I was anticipating what would happen and never looked at my watch, wondering when things would happen.
RYAN: It’s well written in the way that it unfolds with flashbacks at the right time; but the dialogue is also really good and especially with some of Kate’s moments, which might explain the Globe nomination.
ERIN: I didn’t think of that but you’re right. You also pay more attention to the score than I do too.
RYAN: I like good music that evokes feeling. Even in the opening scene of the film, the credit sequence, I was questioning whether it was too dragged-out, but there’s this string, a stringy piece of music, that is not melodic but rather unsettling and really shapes the tone of the whole film.
ERIN: I didn’t notice it but you’ve pointed out to me before that that’s when a score is most effective.
RYAN: The performances are great. Kate and Josh are well cast but the kid in this movie – Gattlin Griffith – was phenomenal. He’s best known previously for playing Angelina Jolie’s son in The Changeling. He’s a break out star in this movie though.
ERIN: Everybody was so good. He, especially, you could feel the yearning of his character. Kate was amazing as always. I love her. She’s smart and versatile; one of my favorite actresses of all time.
RYAN: She’s very real – from her body to her expression – she’s real and she does a killer American accent.
ERIN: That’s right I keep forgetting. She’s brilliant.
RYAN: The characters in this film are all layered with nuances that are called for in certain scenes; several great moments and subtleties.
ERIN: Yeah. I loved that you really don’t find out till the end why some characters are the way they are. You wonder the whole time and it’s brilliant.
RYAN: It’s not frustrating. It’s intricate and complicated but not difficult. All loose ends tie up.
ERIN: I was glad we got the answers – not giving anything away but you do feel for and hope for these characters.
RYAN: We have to mention, since it’s been buzzed about, is the pie-making scene which some are relating to the the pottery scene in Ghost. I don’t get the correlation. It was a completely different context in this film.
ERIN: I love Ghost and it didn’t remind me of that either. It’s a different kind of intimacy. It worked as a moment and I just loved this movie.
RYAN: This movie really worked for me too. It’s a good, interesting, disturbing, and emotional movie. It’s certainly for an adult crowd and moves at a chill pace, but if you’re up for a serious character study, this is great. It’s directed by Jason Reitman who did Juno and Up in the Air and Young Adult. It’s actually the first movie in, like, five years that I didn’t think about having to review whilst watching.
PAT KELLY January 28, 2014
Hi Ryan ~
First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
We didn’t catch up with you after the screening to thank you for the invitation & tell you how great this movie is. Gary & I both really liked the movie. It was a very good story that kept one guessing all the time. The characters were so “real” ~ not one thing fake about them at all. Kate W was outstanding in this movie ~ she was perfect for the part. Gattlin was really great ~ I’d like to see him again in another role.
“Labor Day” showed how people who come together under strange circumstances can end up helping each other & really caring about each other. They had completely different backgrounds but formed a remarkable bond. I liked the flash-backs that helped one understand who these characters were & why they were that way.
This is definitely a must-see movie. We weren’t sure what to expect of this movie. Too bad the media seems to have forgotten about another good movie.
Nathan January 29, 2014
Why can every brit actor or actress do a perfect American accent and few (if any) American actors can do a British one? Thank goodness they can, the acting was incredible.