Review of Labor Day (2013) by Bruiser B — 21 Feb 2014

A solid, if not a little clichéd tearjerker.

I went into this film with little knowledge of it aside from a brief synopsis I read before going to the cinema.

I wasn't in the mood for anything else showing that night (The drama bait Dallas Buyers Club held no appeal, and I wasn't mentally alert enough to fully appreciate some Spike Jonez weirdness with Her), so I decided to go with what sounded like a by the books crime thriller.

Well, crime thriller this ain't.

Without giving away spoilers, Josh Brolin's Frank is a criminal with a heart of gold, which is a role that he takes to very well. This seems like the kind of role that would've been perfect for Kevin Costner, if this film had been made 20 years ago.

Kate winslet is great as always and her nuanced performance accurately captures a woman desperately trapped by her illness and sorrow. At times I thought it was a little phoned in, but once tty he film reaches the third act, everything falls into place.

Not the best movie I've seen this year, but it was fun and my girlfriend cried all the way through (that is to say she liked it a lot).