Monday, February 3, 2014

Movie Review: Labor Day



I just saw the movie, Labor Day. What a wonderful movie.  The movie is a adaption of Joyce Maynard's, with the same name.  I read the book when the it came out a few years ago.

Joyce Maynard was JD Salinger, (the author of Catcher in the Rye) college muse. You can go to her website to read more about her. Also you can find a archived Facebook chat with author, Joyce Maynard on Book Club Girl.

The movie is very different than the book. I usually don't like movies that were made from books.  This time I was surprised. I recommend the movie highly, and bring plenty of tissues.

I had a problem with the book from the beginning. If you can let it pass and overcome it,  than you will enjoy the book.  To this day I still have a problem with the book, and remember that small piece. I usually will read a book and not remember much after a few weeks.
                                                          SPOILER ALERT

This is the story of Adele, and her teenage son, Henry.  Adele is a single mom after her divorce with her husband.  There have some things that were so hard for Adele to bear. From the tragedies, she has never been the same. She doesn't even go out of the house. She leaves Henry to take up the slack of the care of the house.   The tragedies are played out in flashbacks in the movie.  Not just Adele's tradgedies, but Frank, the runaway convict. The story takes place over one Labor Day weekend in 1988 in N.H.

 Adele, and Henry go to town shopping. While Adele is browsing. Her son wants to browse on his own. This is where the story gets interesting.  Her son encounters a stranger, Frank( Josh Brolin).  He asks Henry, if he thinks he's mom will give him a ride.  With his head cut, and his white t-shirt with a spot of blood. He finds he's mom and asks her if they will give him a ride.

 In the book, Adele without hesitation agrees.  This is where I had the problem with the book. What mother, in her right mind would say, yes? No matter how lonely she is, and state of mind. You want to protect your child.  The movie was better played out.  He hinted about threatening her son. If anyone threatened me with my child's safety. Of course, I would do what ever it took for the safety of my son.

I connected with Adele being a single mom with a pre-adolescent son.  Because there wasn't any emotional attachment to his real father down the street. As a single mom you become very close with your child.  Anyone who has a only child knows that you have a special bond with your child.

The best part of the movie was when he was making peach pie. There was such a connection of both actor-actress.  You could feel the happiness, the pain, and sorrow of both of them over a long hot labor day weekend. Then something happens that breaks them apart.

 After that we fast forward to Henry at age thirty, as the narrator.

 Henry connected with Frank that one Labor Day weekend.  Something came out of that holiday weekend that may or may not have changed Henry's perspective, you think, maybe?   Henry is now grown up and owns his own bakery.  How touching is that??? Bring plenty of tissues.

I can tell this is one movie that is going to be with me for weeks. I recommend it highly. I personally would rather see the movie than the book.

My rating is:










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