Labor Day

When you read Joyce Maynard's 2008 novel Labor Day, the last thing that runs through your mind is, "Boy, this would make a great movie, especially in our contemporary times, and especially if Jason Reitman could write and direct it!" The story centers on a 13-year-old kid living in rural New Hampshire with his divorced, depressed, agoraphobic mom who, one Labor Day weekend, is taken hostage by an escaped murderer who ends up becoming a kind of surrogate father to the boy and lover to the mom. This plot works because of Maynard's storytelling style, the era in which the story takes place, and the fact that it's all seen through the eyes of a lonely young kid who doesn't fully understand a lot about the world yet. But when you turn that into a movie, even if you have the kid narrate it and cast great actors, it just ain't gonna fly. It just seems too outrageous, ominous, and thematically "problematic" a premise for a movie made in the 2010s.

Maynard spends much of the book introducing us to the character of Henry Wheeler and how he experiences his mother, Adele. By the time Adele and escaped prisoner Frank Chambers begin to become romantically and sexually involved, we fully understand this woman and can see how her involuntarily harboring a fugitive and putting herself and her son in jeopardy could turn into something romantic and thrilling for her. However, when you take this out of the world of the imagination and put actual actors (movie stars, no less) into the situation, it seems preposterous. Though adept at playing vulnerable women, Kate Winslet is just way too powerful and competent a screen presence to embody Maynard's Adele. And we're not experiencing the film through the kids' eyes; we're seeing it on our own. Josh Brolin is very attractive, but Reitman's screenplay relies too heavily on his good looks. Many vital details about the man are simply not presented, so not only does it seem crazy for Winselt to fall for him, but it seems downright laughable when he starts to teach Henry how to bake pies—something that works quite well in the book. The supporting cast is totally wasted. J. K. Simmons, Clark Gregg, Brooke Smith, James Van Der Beek, Maika Monroe, and Lucas Hedges all show up to serve one narrative function and then disappear.