Review Round-Up: 'Labor Day' Is Oversentimental But Hugely Enjoyable If One Suspends Disbelief

Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet star in Labor Day, an unconventional romance in which Adele (Winslet) a lonely single mother, and her son Henry (Gattlin Griffith), give a wounded man a lift. The man, Frank, is in fact an escaped convict who places Adele in a difficult position when the police begin to ransack her small southern town in order to find him. Jason Reitman (Juno) has directed and adapted Labor Day from Joyce Maynard's 2013 novel of the same name.

Labor Day stars Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet.

Critical response to the film has been mixed with some critics finding the film underwhelming whilst others highly praise its subtleties. Most reviews comment on the oversentimental focus of the film, as embodied by Stephen Holden's comments in The New York Times, in which he states: "Labor Day seems designed for the crowd that devours Nicholas Sparks' romantic daydreams."

Watch the movie trailer for Labor Day:

However, for those reviewers who suspended disbelief for the duration of the film it appears to be an enjoyable, if unrealistic, romance. J.R. Jones, of the Chicago Reader, wrote "Even as a bodice-ripping fantasy it's pretty compelling: Winslet knows how to play hunger, Brolin is handsome and sincere, and writer-director Jason Reitman shows a none-too-common restraint in never showing the characters in bed." Ultimately it's clean cut and easy watching which will tug on the emotional heart strings of anyone who enjoys sentimentality and unlikely romance stories.

Watch more clips from Labor Day on Contactmusic.

Brolin (Gangster Squad) and Winslet (The Reader) are not the only two established actors to be involved in this project. Tobey Maguire (Spiderman), Tom Lipinski (Suits), James Van Der Beek (Dawson's Creek) and Clark Gregg (The Avengers) are also involved in the project.

Labor Day is released in US and Canadian cinemas today (31st January) whilst cinema goers in the UK will have to wait until March 28th 2014 to see the film.

Kate Winslet at the Labor Day premiere in London.