Labor Day

We've all seen intense dramas before that involve difficult decisions between people in difficult situations, and, as we're biting our nails wondering if all is going to be well by end of film. What makes "Labor Day" a little bit different than those other films is that when you think the film's over, you're wrong.

This centers on 13-year-old Henry Wheeler (Gattlin Griffith) who struggles to be the man of the house and care for his depressive reclusive mother, Adele (Kate Winslet) while confronting all the pangs of adolescence. On a back-to-school shopping trip, Henry and his mother encounter Frank Chambers (Josh Brolin), 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. As the police search the town for this convict, the mother and son gradually learn his true story as their options become increasingly limited. The events of this long Labor Day weekend will shape them for the rest of their lives.

Others to round out the cast are Tobey Maguire as Adult Henry, who also narrates the story, Tom Lipinski as Young Frank, Maika Monroe as Mandy, Clark Gregg as Gerald, Henry's  father, James Van Der Beek as Officer Treadwell, J.K. Simmons as Mr. Jervis, a neighbor, Brooke Smith as Evelyn, Brighid Fleming as Eleanor, Alexie Gilmore as Marjorie, Lucas Hedges as Richard, Micah Fowler as Barry and Chandra Thomas as Bank Teller.

This was well paced and delineated by director Jason Reitman ("Thank You for Smoking" '05, "Juno" '07, "Up in the Air" '09, "Young Adult" '11). The way this guy can exude just the right amount of emotion out of his actors is simply amazing. You can see this in his other work as listed above. It was quirkily written by Reitman based on the novel by Joyce Maynard. This plot could've been so boring, because the premise isn't exactly original, but Reitman knows how to write a very taught script that is amazingly fluid. He needs to teach other screenwriters in Hollywood how to write. Winslet's depiction of depressive yet desperate was stunning! Kudos!

Be patient with this story; it does take a bit of time to get going, but once it does, you will be riveted to your seat wondering what is going to happen to these three people trying, in their own way, to survive.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                        Rated: PG-13                         111mins.