Labor Day (2013)

Directed by Jason Reitman. Starring Gattlin Griffith, Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Maika Monroe, Clark Gregg, Brooke Smith, James Van Der Beek, Lucas Hedges, Alexie Gilmore, J. K. Simmons, (voice) Tobey Maguire. [PG-13]

Labored, indeed. Single mom Winslet is forced to harbor escaped convict Brolin in her rural home over Labor Day weekend; while there, the adults fall in love and Brolin bonds with Winslet’s son (Griffith) as a father figure. Never for a moment believable as either a romance or coming-of-age tale in the context of the real world, but it’s too complex to work as a fable; the performers try their best, but it just feels off. Unsatisfying detours into sexual awakening, child abuse, and ominous flashbacks never work right. The filmmakers put more care into lovingly-detailed montages of pies being built from scratch than they do making any sense out of the emotional logic and (forgive the pun) overbaked drama; all the soft lighting and poignant piano in the world can’t make that ending feel earned or plausible. After four strong efforts out of the gate, Reitman makes his first major misfire as director (he also wrote the script, adapted from a book by Joyce Maynard). Maguire narrates as the adult version of Griffith’s character, and appears briefly in the flesh at the end.

37/100