Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The plot of LABOR DAY is straightforward enough: depressed single mum Adele (Kate Winslet) struggles to look after thirteen-year-old Henry (Gattlin Griffith). Suddenly an escaped prisoner Frank (Josh Brolin) rudely interrupts the rhythm of their lives - although initially frightened of him, both Adele and Henry come to admire Frank as he helps to create a new (and idyllic) family life for them.The plot is a familiar one, exploited for horrific effect in movies such as THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955), but here used to prompt reflection on precisely what constitutes a so-called "criminal" mind. Director Jason Reitman does a fine job of recreating a hot- house small-town atmosphere in Massachusetts, c.1987, where all the inhabitants know one another and keep "dropping in" at unexpected moments, making the job of concealing Frank from prying eyes that much more difficult. Despite the location, it's clear that the residents of this town keep themselves to themselves: when neighbor Evelyn (Brooke Smith) comes to visit with her wheelchair-bound son Barry (Micah Fowler), she literally foists Barry on Adele, in spite of Adele's obvious protests. In this kind of environment, it's hardly surprising that Adele should find Frank so attractive, both physically as well as emotionally.Reitman contrasts the adolescent Henry's reactions to Frank with flashbacks to Frank's troubled childhood. We learn how Frank, despite his obvious virtues, never really had a chance in life - as the child of a troubled family with a murderous secret to conceal, he never really knew what stability was like. Hence his willingness to stay at Adele's, despite the obvious personal risks involved.Henry has a profoundly ambivalent attitude towards Frank's presence. While obviously happy for his mother, he feels somehow shut out from this idyllic family life, a fear that is exacerbated after his conversations with fellow-adolescent Eleanor (Brighid Fleming), whose turbulent background has given her a jaundiced view of parenthood. Henry believes himself to be in love with her (perhaps for the first time), and hence experiences an inner conflict: should he believe Eleanor or trust in his mother?The film does a grand job of analyzing the complexities of these relationships. Reitman's camera-work is intense, with tight close- ups alternating with establishing shots focusing on the claustrophobic atmosphere in which the drama takes place. Given the care and attention paid to setting up the central conflicts, it's a shame that the film's ending has to be so sentimentally tame. We learn what has happened to Henry in the intervening years since 1987; likewise Frank and Adele. Everything seems to go favorably for all them - an outcome redolent of Hollywood at its mushiest rather than a logical consequence of what we have previously seen. We end up feeling rather disappointed, as if we have been somewhat short-changed by a film with such promising beginnings.

In a shift in tone and subject matter for director Jason Reitman ('Juno', 'Up In The Air'), his newest film 'Labor Day' is a sweet tale of love and starting over. Originally written by Joyce Maynard with a screenplay treatment by Reitman himself, this gem of a film is a slice of great pie. Sure, this situation would never play out as it did in the film, but is one that we would hope for. With a stellar cast that includes Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Tobey Maguire, J.K. Simmons, Gattlin Griffith, and James Van Der Beek, 'Labor Day' is a holiday I'd revisit again and feel good about it.'Labor Day' was originally a novel by Maynard, and is transferred to film almost perfectly. The film is set in the mid 1980s as we meet single mother Adele (Winslet) and her young boy Henry (Griffith). Adele's ex-husband left her for his secretary (Clark Gregg) and still plays a role in Henry's life. However, the divorce has taken a large toll on Adele. So much so that she is afraid to leave the house but once a month to do grocery shopping. Meanwhile, the young Henry is left to take care of his mother, go to the bank, and fix small things around the house.While at the local super-market, Henry comes across a stranger named Frank (Brolin) who seems to be bleeding from his stomach. In what seems in a blink of an eye, Frank forces Henry and Adele to help him heal and avoid the authorities. Come to find out, Frank is an escaped convict. His crime was murder, as we see his back story unravel through a series of wonderfully crafted flashbacks throughout the film. Frank is a great man who is patient, pleasant, extremely nice, and can cook a mean pie.In the part that would never happen in real life, Adele and Frank begin to fall for each other over the course of a weekend, as Frank fixes the house up, teaches Henry to bake a pie and play catch, and even dances the night away with Adele. Meanwhile, Henry and Adele have to keep Frank a secret as the police are searching for him night and day. Soon, Adele is able to get out of the house with ease and begins to trust people again. On the other hand, Henry is discovering girls and learning what it takes to be a man.Reitman tells this wonderful story at a magic pace, as we get enough time with these character to truly fall in love with them. It's also a beautiful film to look at. Brolin and Winslet turn in solid performances and Griffith shines as the kid who is starting to find himself. One of the flaws of the film is some of its dialogue is a bit on the cheesy side with a few clichés that are hit too hard on the nose. But it never detracts from the overall viewing experience. I really loved seeing the 1980s set design. From the old school television sets to the 'Star Wars' and 'E.T.' posters on the walls, and even the characters watching 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'. It really brought me back to my childhood. 'Labor Day' won't fascinate everyone, but if you give it a chance, I'm sure you'll walk away satisfied.

This is a very bad movie. From the conception to the execution, it is a bad idea. First, the conception. A divorced mother living with her pre-teen son accosts an escaped prisoner in the supermarket. Even the progress of that scene was too clumsy. The prisoner merely summons the boy, talks him into accompanying him. And, on the way, he steals a jacket and a baseball cap. We are not told whether there is anything in the boy's past that makes him susceptible to this kind of blatant manipulation. It seems to me that he could have simply walked back to his mother, or screamed. It was during the day. There were several shoppers. I presume the store has some security apparatus in place.Then, the mother as the equally naive, but unwitting accomplice. Despite being within earshot of several shoppers, the mother then decides it is a good idea to let this stranger ride with them to their house. Whatever hesitation she had was so tepid, it was barely noticeable. Then, the-I-can't-believe-they-are-trying-to-make-a-romantic-movie- out-of-this chain of events. Predictably, this hunky escaped murderer turns to be quite handy. He can fix cars, he can do things around the house. Heck, he even knows how to cook. At no time did anyone of the other two decide, "hmmm...this is not a good idea. We don't know this guy." Things reach absurd levels of incredulity before the boy wises up, albeit prompted by a smart, but potty-mouthed girl of approximately the same age, and he contacts his estranged father who calls the police. Thereafter, the fugitive is arrested.Oh, but they fall in love in the meantime. Don't tell me you didn't see that coming. And, at the end we learn that upon release, after spending more than a decade in jail, she was still waiting for him. Okay, whatever. Why I hate this movie, apart from the rather pretentious plot and bad execution is the message: that a divorced woman with her young child should take in an escaped murderer in the off-chance that they might fall in love. It makes you shudder at the concept. Please, ladies, do not do this.

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.