BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

TeenzTen An action-packed slog

Hayleigh Joseph This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

Allissa .Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

ranidemunck I've put the movie on pause because I literally can't stop crying. This movie touches me on so many levels. SUCH well acting! Dear God, don't hesitate to watch this movie. It's really one of my favs.

Saiyan_Prince_Vegeta Well, this movie is based on the novel, so it's not really the movie's fault, but I didn't like some aspects of the story. The movie itself is really good, quite emotional, realistic, intense. I watched it without any distractions or breaks. I do recommend this movie. Actually I watched it because of Tobey Maguire, but he's actually only like 2 minutes here, at the end. The movie is about hiding the prisoner and there were a few moments where there were circumstances which could have led to his discovery by police, and I thought, "Man, is this really how the police is gonna find him, I hope it's not that simple?", but gladly it all was just a provocation to think that, and actually the story did not go that simple. Even though I really hated the ending that he went back to prison for around 20 years, the story as a whole was really good and I really enjoyed the movie! The interesting thing about the ending is that you don't really know how did police find him. Was it the kid, who led the police to their house and wrote the letter to the father? Or was it the mother who tried to withdraw a large sum of money from the bank? Or was it the prisoner, who was stunned and acted weirdly when mother's friend unexpectedly entered the house? Any of these could have led the police to their house.

mokhatib A single mom Adele (Winslet) with son Henry are forced to harbor a fugitive Frank (Brolin) at theirown home. An unexpected relationship develops among the three. A beautiful story with a great cast including the super talented Gattlin Griffith as Henry. A very sensual, delicate, and rather natural direction on the hands of Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Juno). Jason scripted this movie based on the novel by Joyce Maynard. Jason did a terrific job in interpreting Adele's yearning for male attention and care, in brief a man around the house in every aspect, especially in the scene where Frank wraps his arm around her waist and when we see her face turning towards him, I and I am sure a lot of the audience expected a kiss but what do you know…Winslet beautifully and vulnerably lays her face on his shoulder….. absolutely mesmerizing!Another scene stands out for me how Reitman plays down and tones down the sexual relationship between Frank and Adele by suggestive scenes for example, when Henry does not find Frank on the couch where he was usually sleeps but hears him in his mom's bedroom and another scene where he opens the bathroom door to find her brushing her teeth with her under gown on with Frank there with her, but then in the movie's most vulnerable scene, we just get a single passionate kiss between Frank and Adele. I loved the use of sunlight throughout the movie right about when Frank arrives at Adel and Henry's house and starts affecting and impacting their lives, which to me is rather symbolic for light of hope that is shed on them, a second chance for a normal and loving family life, for them and for Frank as well, clearly evident in the final scenes when upon telling him about her problematic pregnancy life , she tells him:" I can't give you a family.", he replies: " you have". I loved the clash of two unfortunate characters who lost love and regained it under the most unfortunate circumstances and their love conquered and endured all times and survived. You got to give praise to how Reitman in script and direction, sprinkled more than four dramatic tension points that could result in the capture of Frank, Henry's rebel girlfriend, Henry's letter to his Dad and mentioning at dinner that there is a man around his house, Bary the mentally handicapped kid who visits them and meets Frank, but the wow factor, is how all these did not play any part in Frank's final capture. Turning my attention to the script and as much as I loved it, a few things bothered me and caughtmy attention as weak and incredible as far as plot and characterization. Starting with Bary's visit and Frank's okay with that, how could a character like Frank who was cold and cautious from the beginning in order to protect himself, let a mentally retarded kid see him? What did he think it was okay? What was he going to say? He turned out rather shouting his name, how contradictory is that? Add to that, Reitman making Bary conveniently watch the news broadcast where for maybe the 20th time they show Frank's young prison pic and for the first time in the movie, they put an adult pic of him next to it, come on how convenient and corny is that? Also keeping with Frank's character motif , why would someone like him on the day he was all alone in the house and knowing from before that Adele's neighbors and friends barge in and pop in unexpectedly not to mention rudely like Bary's mom, and while standing conveniently in direct vision of anyone coming through the main door, leave it unlocked??? Hehe.. Of all the days they could have gathered their stuff and escape to Canada, they picked Henry's first day of school to do it, and where everybody in the movie made a point of it, that's just silly…. Obviously it was added to create dramatic tension and suspense but to a weak effect and result. I will end my comments with the corny ending of the movie, we understand that Frank takes a lot of thecredit for the fine upbringing and how a fine man Henry turned out to be, but it was rather commercialand clichéd for Reitman to actually show us Henry doing exactly the same things Frank taught him, changing a tire while with his girlfriend, cooking and baking a pie for his mom, playing baseball etc… and the corniest of them all, Henry becoming a pie chef and opening a famous restaurant, that ending was just too hollywoody and I imagine every scene that comes after Frank's second arrest is rather made for commercial box office reasons, come on …would you rather have this ending or just maybe see Henry cooking for his mom, and being with his girlfriend? I know your pick.

paul david There is no doubt about the implausibility of a lonely depressed Mother and her Son being picked up by a man in a grocery store (hardly a supermarket)who turns out to be an escaped convict on the run.The fact is that the two characters both in terms of real time acting and in terms of the story line blended and bonded well in my personal view and there is nothing appropriate in trivialising a movie which reaches deep inside our hearts and brings more than a few tears to our eyes while watching it as they both seek to re-discover love and a righteous way to live their life.There are too many films made nowadays focused on action and violence riddled with bad language, perverseness and inappropriate sexuality.This film is well directed, the screenplay story is entirely logical in the circumstances, the acting does not disappoint and the ending of the film was well considered.I am not altogether sure of the implied reference to 'Labor Day' in the title and I was initially put off watching this film for a couple of months because I thought this might be some kind of 'Mum gets pregnant' cheesy love-story film. Not like that at all.I have questions as to who is the real Mother of Henry (Hank) given developments during the story and not having read the book and there is a hollowness to Frank's earlier part of the story with his girlfriend/wife. The same could be said about Adele and her relations with her former husband and what was the real cause of her depression.There are many issues about this film which merit open discussion but overall this is a super film and should be appreciated and enjoyed on merit.