Movie date: Labor Day

Starring: Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith, Tobey Maguire

Director: Jason Reitman

The Skinny: Escaped convict Frank (Brolin) gets a ride from single mum Adele (Winslet) and her son Henry (Griffith). He ends up hiding out at their rundown house, where his handyman skills prove useful. He's got other skills that prove useful as well, and soon Adele finds herself swooning over the jailhouse bad boy.

Rating: NC16

The Consensus: Those seeking an adult romance will find comfort in this well-acted labour of love.

First things first: I love the name of the kid actor in this flick.

Gattlin Griffith? Are you kidding me? That's quality naming.

Good going, Gattlin's folks!

As it happens, the flick itself is also pretty great.

Brolin is perfectly cast here as a brute with a heart (brart).

There something primaeval about him - he looks like he just stepped out of a Frank Frazetta painting.

Winslet, with her soft womanly curves, is the perfect complement.

The pair look as if they could spawn a new race capable of conquering the galaxy.

And this is what Labor Day is really all about - sexual chemistry.

She doesn't care that he's a jailbird, or that he's a killer, or that he's essentially keeping her and her son prisoner.

All she cares about is THE HEAT.

It's a bit surprising that this movie comes from director Reitman, a guy best known for quirky comedies such as Juno and Young Adult.

There's no cutesy hipster babble here.

There's just a slow dance of seduction - Brolin's hands getting ever more comfortable on Winslet's bod.

A simple yet well-told tale with tons of feels.

By Jason Johnson

Love is blind, so they say.

Labor Day presents an example of how one in desperate need of a man's presence can ignore all the glaring faults.

Here is one guy who's on the run for murder! And he's kidnapping you!

Who this guy is and who he used to be do not matter to both mother and son.

The mum yearns for intimacy, while her teenage son yearns for a father figure.

Just by putting this somewhat flimsy script in the hands of Brolin and Winslet, Reitman seems to have known he would get a great end product.

The plot is clumsy and disappointing, especially coming from such a celebrated screenwriter and film-maker.

But credit goes to Brolin, who plays his escaped convict so magnetically, so gentle yet masculine.

And he knows how to make a woman happy - and I'm not talking sexually.

Which woman wouldn't like a guy to take over the cooking, cleaning and washing so she can chill on a hammock?

Winslet brings much depth to her depressed, agoraphobic Adele who has endured much emotional pain.

Young Griffith stands his ground against the two thespians, delivering an equally compelling character who suddenly goes from boy to man in a matter of days.

By Joanne Soh

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