Typically the early part of the year is the dumping ground for movie studios, at least it seems that way often. Movies that they feel weren’t quite good enough to rush to the theater in December in time for awards season get quietly released the first part of the next year. Labor Day is a movie that, though decent, doesn’t quite feature the sterling acting the studio probably envisioned when it was greenlit.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a good, if somewhat unsurprising, movie. Perhaps the trailer, which I saw numerous times (a bad side effect of seeing so many movies) gave away too much, as I knew the surprising “twist” before it was shown. Kate Winslet was good, but it seems her role has gotten stale. She always seems to play the hurt, vulnerable character. Granted, she has that part down pat, having won numerous awards including an Oscar (from 6 nominations). Josh Brolin was his usual detached macho male character, almost to a fault, as I didn’t feel any chemistry between him and Winslet. Even when they had supposedly fallen deep in love, I didn’t know if he truly cared for her or was just using her to his ends, though this wasn’t meant to be a subplot.
All in all, a good movie and worth a single viewing, though you can skip the theater and wait for Netflix on this one. It’s the kind of movie that will be in the $5 dvd bin before long too.
Jons Movie Takes 