Sometimes, a movie is a lot better if you just don’t think about it too much. Accept the premise, go with the flow, and laugh about the completely implausible later.
That’s the case with Labor Day. Kate Winslet plays Adele, an agoraphobic divorcee who lives with her 13-year-old son and ventures out rarely. By happenstance, their monthly supply run is on the same day that a convicted murderer played by Josh Brolin decides to make a run for it. Adele and her son are convinced / coerced by Frank — the murderer — to take him home with them. Which is a good decision, as it turns out that Frank is a master cook and good with a hammer. Not to mention that he’s a heck of a baseball coach.
Only a few things keep the whole film from veering into absurdity. Winslet is pitch-perfect as Adele, and the movie has the ability to effortlessly morph from suspense to romance to coming-of-age tale. The latter is one of the movie’s weaknesses as well; it’s too suspenseful to be a romance, too romantic to be a coming-of-age tale, and too coming-of-age to be a suspense. But there’s something spell-binding about it anyway. Labor Day isn’t exactly gripping, but it’s made well enough to keep you from realizing until afterward that it stretches credibility to the breaking point.
Some of that distraction comes from the relationships between the characters, which work pretty well. The believable emotions and interactions make the uneven plot easier to accept. There are some nice moments in this movie, though there are a few moments that it could have done without.
As escapism for mature women — the movie’s target demographic — it could be far worse. But be prepared to suspend disbelief and perhaps reality, and be ready to laugh at yourself later.
