Labor Day
Director: Jason Reitman
Screenwriter: Jason Reitman
Cast: Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith, Tobey Maguire
Paramount Pictures
Rated PG-13 | 111 Minutes
Release Date: January 31, 2013

Written for the screen and directed by Jason Reitman (Young Adult), Labor Day is based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard.

Labor Day is a major departure for Reitman, who is best known for acerbic comedies like Thank You for Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air, and the aforementioned Young Adult.

A melodrama that dabbles in darkness with a dash of Lifetime Original romance, Labor Day is basically a trashy romance novel disguised as an Oscar contender.

The film, which takes place in 1987, stars Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road) as Adele Wheeler, a depressed single mom who lives in a rural home with her 13-year-old son, Henry (Gattlin Griffith).

On a back-to-school shopping trip, Henry and his mother encounter Frank Chambers (Josh Brolin), an intimidating man who is injured and in need of help. Frank convinces them to take him into their home, where they learn that he is a convict wanted by the police after breaking out of jail.

Jason Reitman’s Labor Day is a complete departure from the down to earth comedies we normally see him direct. It’s a darker turn for the acclaimed director. The film is based on the Joyce Manyard novel of the same name and follows 13-year-old boy (Gattlin Griffith) and his reclusive mother (Kate Winslet) who help pick up a man (Josh Brolin) in need of help. Little do they know that the person they helped out is actually a dangerous fugitive who ends up holding the family that helped him hostage during Labor Day Weekend.

The film has already received some high praise at both the Toronto International Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival. It also stars J.K. Simmons, Clark Gregg, James Van Der Beek, and Tobey Maguire. Paramount will give the movie a limited release on December 25, and it will expand nationwide on January 31. Hit the jump to see a pair of trailers.