Paramount Pictures opened Labor Day in limited release in Los Angeles and will be expanding it nationwide on January 31, 2014, and they’ve just unveiled a new trailer for the dramatic film starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. Given the talent in front of and behind the camera (it was adapted for the screen and directed by Jason Reitman), you’d think Labor Day would be generating a little more interest. Reitman’s normally busy on the awards circuit with his feature films (Thank You For Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air), although his most recent release prior to Labor Day (Young Adult) was also only moderately embraced. Currently, Labor Day‘s sitting at 65% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with critics either labeling it a Lifetime Movie of the Week or a captivating, romantic change of pace for Reitman.
The Plot:
Labor Day centers on 13-year-old Henry Wheeler, who struggles to be the man of his house and care for his reclusive mother Adele while confronting all the pangs of adolescence. On a back-to-school shopping trip, Henry and his mother encounter Frank Chambers, a man both intimidating and clearly in need of help, who convinces them to take him into their home and later is revealed to be an escaped convict. The events of this long Labor Day weekend will shape them for the rest of their lives.
