Labor Day - C+

Rated PG-13, 111 minutes

"Labor Day" an odd, slow movie with an alluring Winslet

Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet

"Labor Day" is an odd movie, in an unusual, peach pie sort of way. The new film from Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air," "Juno") and based on Joyce Maynard's novel of the same name is a flawed, awkwardly handled story of a dual coming-of-age-story. The story is familiar and slow though its lead actress is alluring. Kate Winslet is Adele, a depressed and emotionally shaky single mother to 13-year old Henry (newcomer Gattlin Griffith, very good here). Adele and Henry's lives are changed when a fugitive named Frank (Josh Brolin) enters their lives on Labor Day weekend, providing attention to the lonely, love-starved pair. Unconventional for sure, slow and peppered with a few lovely moments "Labor Day" is awkwardly staged, which may be due to the misdirection. Reitman, a gifted filmmaker who generally takes on quirky dramedies such as "Juno," seis an unlikely fit for Maynard's serious novel and while he brings out some of the peculiarities and humor of the story he can't get a good handle on the unusual material. It's unfortunate due to a strong cast, and Winslet gives one of her most fully-realized performances as the depressed mother who finds just what she needs in Frank; it's her change from shaky wallflower to butterfly that is one of the main reasons to see the film, in addition to that pie. She, Griffith and Brolin all work off each other nicely even through the movie's more familiar conventions. On the downside, its slowish (i.e. boring) tone and sluggish plotting is problematic, a little too uneven and peppered with too many unnecessary flashbacks, as well as Reitman's script, which becomes less brave and more predictable in the last act. "Labor Day" is a slow movie packed with flaws and a lovely performance from Winslet, with that delectable peach pie the most memorable thing from the film.

Wes's Grade: C+