Review of Labor Day (2013) by Valerie P — 18 Nov 2015

I doubt that anyone will be surprised to hear that the book is much better than the film. Yet, even with the many changes brought about by writer/director Jason Reitman, it is still an incredibly interesting story about complex characters and what it means to really trust someone with your love.

I really disagreed with the casting of Josh Brolin as Frank. To me, Frank was more of a brutish man in appearance; making his domesticity even more of a contrast. I pictured a sort-of Vin Diesel when reading the novel. Kate Winslet, on the other hand, was perfect for the role of Adele. She has that ability to be both plain and beautiful, both ordinary or extraordinary; as we saw in The Reader.

The critics accuse the film of being "slow-paced" and "going nowhere". For a novel like this, where much of the "action" is inside the head of a teenage boy, it lies with the director to bring it all to life. Though Reitman has definitely shown talent before, he didn't hit his stride with this one. If I had watched the film before reading the book, I wouldn't have bothered; I would have walked away a contented viewer, but I would never have engaged with the story the way I did with Maynard's text.