Labor Day has to be one of the most bewildering motion picture experiences in recent memory. Set over the weekend of the movie's title, the film stars Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin as a lowly housewife and an escaped convict who find their paths inexplicably crossed. What's most curious about this flick is that it comes from the immensely talented Jason Reitman, who brought us four brilliant films in a row with Thank You For Smoking, Juno, Up In The Air and Young Adult. But whereas those movies were witty and relevant, Labor Day reads like unintended parody. It's almost as if, with its overly sentimental plotting and overindulged romantic (like something out of a '50s serial aimed at housewives), Labor Day has been set up as one big joke; you almost expect Reitman to pull the rug out from under you halfway through, and yet the movie follows through on its initial mawkishness with apparent sincerity, as if Thank You For Smoking and Up In The Air had never existed at all. "It deals with a very complex drama," Reitman once said. "And I may not nail it on this film." Damn straight; Labor Day is very much a step backwards.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
