A criminal on the run, a young boy coming of age and a woman in need of companionship … all of these elements come together in “Labor Day,” the latest from Jason Reitman, which is gearing up to hit theaters in a couple months after making a very modest splash at Telluride and Toronto. It’s certainly a different animal from the writer/director’s previous pictures, and one that brings a couple of our favorite actors together in the lead roles.
Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet star in the adaptation of the Joyce Maynard novel, set across the titular holiday weekend, in which an escaped convict becomes part of the household of a young boy and his mother, in what turns out to be a life-changing event for everyone. “There is an undeniable bond, they’re both scared, but they both seem to need each other,” Reitman told EW about this picture. But does it all work?
Well, it didn’t quite come together for our man in Colorado, who opined that “the (sorry) laboriousness of the plot’s romance-novel machinations ensures there’ll be at least a few dry eyes in the house.”
Watch the theatrical trailer and online exclusive (via Slashfilm) below. “Labor Day” opens on Christmas Day in limited release.
