2014: Week 4: Labor Day

Labor Day

Genre: Drama

Main Players: Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith

General Gist:  A fugitive takes up residence in the home of a mother, who is fighting with depression and her 13 year old son.  

Deb's Take:  
Another pre-screening!!  I do love free movies.  We also had company this week.  Glad Shelley and Lavon could be at this one with us.   Another cool thing, since this movie was based on a book, and the author was actually present during the movie, we got a free book.  Reading and movies..two of life's simple pleasures.

So.. the movie.  I like Kate Winslet.  She is such a great actress, and in this movie, she continued to be good old Kate.  I was more impressed with Gattlin Griffith.  He did a really good job.  Kid actors amaze me sometimes.  That being said, the movie was lacking.  I like to read books and then go to movies because the movie is able to capture a "real" person, and the book fills in all the empty spots.   The bad part about going to a movie without reading the book first...all the empty spots remain empty.  Now, a really good movie won't leave you feeling empty even if a book is involved.  This one just didn't do the trick.  I felt like the development of the relationship was non existent.  I didn't buy the whole 5 day love affair..yet a good movie can sell it.  There was no real build up to the climax of the movie, and the climax was sort of blah....Since I got a free copy of the book I might as well give it a read and see if maybe some of the empty spots will be filled in, as well as determining if the love affair was more believable.  As far as the movie standing alone, well, curl up on the couch and maybe fill a boring Friday night with a glass of wine and this movie.

Deb's Rate: Rent It

Tiff's Take:
Yes!  Movies and books.  Two of my favorite things.  This was a nice little surprise.  But reading a book after seeing a movie is not necessarily ideal.  So, not sure I'll actually make it around to reading this book but if I'm in a book drought I just might.   

I guess I'm a little more forgiving then Deb on this one.  You could definitely tell there was more to the story then what the movie showed.  The weekend love affair was a little stretch for me too.  But I thought it was an interesting story.  Even if you had to read into it a little.  I liked how it was from the perspective of the son too.  It gave a little different twist on things.  But yes, I wanted to know more about what Kate's character was thinking in trusting a stranger so quickly (and a fugitive at that) and what inner struggles the son was having throughout.  Okay. so maybe I will read the book.

The acting was great though.  I'm a huge fan of Kate Winslet since back in my Titanic obsession days.  Gattlin Griffith was fantastic as well.  Josh Brolin was good but the verdicts still out whether I'm a huge fan of his.  In short, great acting but the book to screen adaptation could have been more insightful.  

Tiff's Rate: Matinee

Preview:  With all the pre-screenings we aren't even sure what's really playing!