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| Winslet with her RockNRoller husband |
Next, I went on to Jason Reitman's adaptation of the novel. This will be the director's fifth feature film. He has adapted two novels himself for the screen, as well as take on two original screenplays from Diablo Cody. I found him more successful with the latter, especially Young Adult, which was just wicked good, one of my favorites from 2011. (And, that's after hearing a REALLY douchey behind-the-scenes story about him from a friend.) All of Reitman's films have had a comedic air about them thus far. Thank You for Smoking and Adult both possessed a mature, dark humor. Juno was witty with a lot of heart. Up in the Air was his most emotionally sophisticated film, yet couldn't live up to its ambitions. It felt light and airy while trying to provide brevity to the economic times that we were living in. (I just wasn't sold on it, or maybe I just couldn't afford it.) With Labor Day, Reitman embarked on a completely different story tonally. Maynard's novel is a straight up drama with incredible depth and even some elements of suspense (but, mind you, it's not really a thriller). It draws natural comparisons to The Perks of Being a Wallflower, for the setting alone, along with the young protagonist negotiating his changing sexuality, though the relationship most focused on here is that between him and his mother. They reminded me of 1950s housewife Laura and her boy in The Hours, where you had a woman who failed at fitting into traditional social norms while raising a child. However, here, there's only a minor lapse in Adele's strength for her son.
The first film which crept into my mind, however, was the underrated A Perfect World from 1993. Clint Eastwood followed up his Oscar-winning Unforgiven with this story about a relationship between a boy, and an outlaw (Kevin Costner, back when he was still a major a box-office draw, after his bonanza string of successes including Dances With Wolves, in his attempt to play against his Americana type). Eastwood and a young Laura Dern (just nominated for an Oscar in Rambling Rose) played authorities on their tails. While there was a romanticizing of the outlaw, it was a moving tale none-the-less about unconventional father figures and the grounding nature of children in search of them. There was a little of that here too. Fun little fact: World was the second screenplay of John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks) to be produced. Rent it!Plot Summary (spoilers)
Having said that, after reading the script, none of these films came to mind. Actually, not much came to mind outside of frustration and blank responses. The screenplay adopts Maynard's narrative, yet strips it of its heart. The movie is still set in 1987, but with a voiceover provided by an adult Henry Wheeler (Tobey Maguire). The basic plot is recently escaped convict Frank Chambers (Josh Brolin) seeks harbor from the authorities and finds that with Adele Wheeler (Kate Winslet) and her son Henry "Hank" (Gattlin Griffith). Adele is a depressed divorcee who suffered from a series of miscarriages after having an abortion requested by her then husband when they already had Henry. Henry is nearing puberty and negotiating through his own sexuality, as well as being a social misfit. Frank is actually a kind and giving man. We come to find out that he was a Vietnam veteran who married a shrew Mandy (Maika Monroe) on his return. He suffered from PTSD and during a fight a year or so after their baby was born, she mercilessly revealed that the child was not his. In a moment of rage, he pushes her, resulting in her death. Simultaneously, his grandmother dies of natural causes while watching the baby, who drowns. (It sounds unbelievable, but the way it's presented in the book, it's quite convincing.) The movie leaves out the grandmother here, but Frank ended up serving a long sentence. After getting to know each other, Adele and Frank fall in love and decide to emigrate to Canada. Meanwhile, Henry develops a friendship with a precocious, but jaded young girl Eleanor (Brighid Fleming). She manipulates him, and, in a moment of weakness thinking Frank and his mother are going to leave him behind, he divulges his secret. Eleanor uses that information to collect the reward. Before Adele leaves with Frank and Henry, the police arrive to arrest him. Years later, Henry becomes a talented and successful baker. Frank contacts him from jail, and Henry reunites him with his still single mother. Script Review (spoilers)
One of my biggest qualms with the screenplay was the narration--generally, an ill-chosen and cringe-worthy conceit showing a lack of confidence in the storyteller. Not always a deal-breaker, I would never in a million years ask for the removal of Richard Dreyfuss' voice-over in Stand By Me, or the work of Daniel Stern in The Wonder Years. It just works there. But, you have to make an extremely convincing argument to justify its usage, or why bother other than to insult the audience? The Paperboy is a recent example of this. We've got Macy Gray telling us what everyone wants, their shortcomings, etc. But, it always boils down to that literary rule of "show, don't tell." And, there seems to be a temptation to circumvent this sound advice when adapting period stories set in the 1950s - 1970s for some reason, as if it has become some kind of requirement. Maynard's novel is told in retrospect from Henry's point of view as an adult in the late 2000s. Reitman lazily chooses to retain this perspective (although inconsistently), which puts a huge hole in the boat before it even leaves dock.
Yet, I still tried to keep an open mind, as long as the writer doesn't overuse this choice to the point of being intrusive which is exactly what Reitman does. Initially, the problems relate to the audience buying Adele's choice to allow Frank into her home. Despite whatever pull she feels towards him, the story has to, at first, convince the audience that she is in a place where she would be willing to put her and her son's life in danger, regardless of what her instincts are about what kind of man he is, and how they actually turn out to be true. Maynard manages this in her novel. Reitman, who, granted, was working in a medium where it was more difficult to do in a short amount of time, isn't as nuanced. But, since it's an early point in the script, it's easy to give him more leeway, especially with what can be saved with good direction and strong performances. However, Henry's voice-over becomes over-kill, especially with a series of flashbacks related to different characters, and short-hands the entire plot, making minor modifications for cinematic efficiency (including some tension nicely added to the climax). The devices become crutches to the point of becoming cliques. A quarter of the way in, I was like, enough already! Let this fucking script breathe for Christ's sakes!
Making matters much worse, part of Reitman's hubris shows halfway through when he squarely calls the central moment in the script, "The Greatest Pie Making Scene in Cinema History." His words! Really? I don't care what he does in the film, because we don't even have to go far back in film history to know that's a tall order. The Help, with all of its shortcomings had that base covered, and WE DON'T EVEN SEE THE PIE GETTING MADE! (It's all in the suggestion. Something Reitman can learn from for his writing.) The purpose of the scene is to integrate Frank as a permanent need in the lives of mother and son (Reitman even adds Frank suggesting he leave to get the other two to plead for him to stay). In the novel, it's a pivotal moment that carries with it layers that play through the end, but, in the screenplay, it is not so fully realized. There's also a short literary reimagining of Adele and Frank as Bonnie and Clyde. By indulging his desire to throw in a classic cinematic reference, Reitman betrays the very sobering narrative perspective he copied from the book. While the novel mentions the Arthur Penn film, he misuses its context within the story. It struck me that the writer/director got lost in his own sense of grandeur, and no one told him his ego was outwitting his talent. When we find out about the truth behind the crime Frank was convicted for, the scene (or flashback) is just too pat. There's no emotional resonance that this man has been fucked over by society and is about to be majorly screwed again. And, why Reitman leaves out Maynard's beautiful use of Adele's scarves for Frank to tie her up at the beginning is beyond me.I found it overall difficult to review this script, as everything about it seemed to slip through my fingers. Perhaps it was because I already knew the story. Or, perhaps it's because the script failed to add anything of substance to the novel, which was an already fully realized endeavor. Not only did it not bring anything to the table, it created a frenetic mess of a travelogue through the memories of a man looking back on his youth. Would I have done things differently? Did Reitman have other options? I don't know. This had to be a challenging book to adapt, no doubt. But, his choices were just so uninspired, it made me wonder if he should stick to directing scripts written by Diablo Cody. Can this movie be saved with Reitman's direction and the performances? Perhaps. I'm new to this script reviewing, so I'm interested in how off-the-mark I might be. Right now, I can't believe it even got green-lit. And that they cast Tobey Maguire (whose character, yawn, serves a similar purpose in The Great Gatsby opening this week) makes me want to groan even more (and not in a good way).
Box Office ProspectsReitman lensed the movie last summer in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Paramount will be distributing Labor Day sometime this year, though I doubt the weekend of the title, as that's usually a dumping ground for Summer rejects, not possible award contenders. However, might it debut during VIFF or the closing night of Telluride, the 2nd of September, America's Labor Day? Reitman's last film Young Adult made $16M, his lowest grossing to date. I had mentioned A Perfect World earlier, which didn't do too badly (though worse than expected), but, Kevin Costner was still a huge star, and the movie also had Eastwood. The aforementioned Little Children shares elements with Labor Day; it grossed $5.5M. Right now, I'm thinking it would be lucky to make $10M.
Early Oscar Chances
After I read the novel, I found Adele a perfect role for Winslet. It plays into her wheelhouse of period, dissatisfied housewives. They couldn’t have cast better for this movie. Normally, I would say predicting a nomination for her, especially now some five years have passed since the oft-nominated actress finally won Oscar, would be a no-brainer. But, she is a winner now. This role is closer to Little Children (for which she barely snuck into a nomination) than The Reader (which she won). I’ve already gone on and on in previous posts about how this year offers an unprecedented field of formidable former Best Actress winners, so I’ll shut up and say, yes, she has a chance, of course, but, at this point, I would bet against her. In fact, I would suggest Josh Brolin has a better chance, if any of the actors do. It’s a sympathetic portrayal of a convict, and will allow him to show audiences shades of his acting that they haven’t seen before. I just can’t figure out which category they’ll campaign him in for. Other than that, I'd say, get ready to stick a fork in this pie.
Admirably, Reitman usually holds onto a lot of his crew and for this project he included long-running editor Dana E. Glauberman, cinematographer Eric Steelberg, composer Rolfe Kent (who also has an established working relationship with Alexander Payne), production designer Steve Saklad, and Costume Designer Danny Glicker (who also did Milk).
Admirably, Reitman usually holds onto a lot of his crew and for this project he included long-running editor Dana E. Glauberman, cinematographer Eric Steelberg, composer Rolfe Kent (who also has an established working relationship with Alexander Payne), production designer Steve Saklad, and Costume Designer Danny Glicker (who also did Milk).
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