Labor Day (2013)
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A struggling single mother and her son find themselves forced to shelter an escaped convict in their rural home.
The story
In 1987, Adele Wheeler, a depressed single mother living in a rural home with her son Henry, is forced to take a man named Frank into their home. They soon discover that Frank is an escaped convict wanted by the police. As the search for the fugitive intensifies, the bond between the mother, the son, and the man grows. While Frank performs chores and repairs around the house, the three of them form an unexpected connection. Amidst the tension of the ongoing manhunt, Adele and Frank begin to fall in love, leading them to consider a life together and a move to Canada.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1987, Adele Wheeler, a woman struggling with depression, lives in a rural home with her son, Henry. While shopping before Labor Day, they are forced by a man named Frank Chambers to take him home. They soon learn Frank is an escaped convict. To show gratitude, Frank repairs their home and car while teaching Henry and Adele various skills. As Adele and Frank fall in love, they plan to flee to Canada. However, the tension rises as they realize the police are closing in. On the day of their planned departure, a series of near-misses with authorities occurs. Eventually, the police arrive, and Frank surrenders to avoid them being charged for harboring him. Years later, after Frank is released from prison, he reconnects with Henry, and the film concludes with a reunion between Frank and Adele.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 111
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jason Reitman
- Writers
- Jason Reitman · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Kate Winslet · Adele; Josh Brolin · Frank; Gattlin Griffith · young Henry; Tobey Maguire · adult Henry
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- mother-son relationship; isolation; connection
- Tone and mood
- melodramatic; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- fugitive; rural; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2009 novel by Joyce Maynard
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with critics praising the performances of Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin while criticizing the plot's sentimentality and melodrama.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 34% · scale: percentage · review count: 200; Metacritic · score: 52 · scale: 100 · review count: 43
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in multiple locations in Massachusetts.; The production team searched the entire state of Massachusetts for the perfect house.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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