David Farnor | On 04, Aug 2014

Director: Jason Reitman
Cast: Josh Brolin, Kate Winslet, Gattlin Griffith
Certificate: 15
Watch Labor Day online in the UK: TalkTalk TV / Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (Buy/Rent) / Google Play / Rakuten TV / Sky Store

Jason Reitman returns after Young Adult with Labor Day, a curious, sentimental drama that sees escaped convict Frank (Josh Brolin) hide out in the home of depressed agoraphobic Marie (Kate Winslet) and her teenage son, Scott (Gattlin Griffith). What does he do with them? He bakes. A peach pie, to be exact.

Bonding with the pair over sentimental shortcrust, it’s a heartwarming drama that posits Brolin as a father figure for the broken family – because sometimes all you need to cure a problem is pie.

How does one go from the scathing cynicism of Young Adult and Thank You for Smoking to The Not-So-Great Brolin Bake Off? We snuck into Jason Reitman’s kitchen to find out:

Labor Day recipe (serves one audience)

1. Take one best-selling, mushy novel by Joyce Maynard, which includes an ex-convict’s recipe for peach pie. (In your face, apples.)

2. Fold in Josh Brolin and sprinkle menace over the top.

3. Blend emotionally with Kate Winslet to produce a potentially enticing fusion of the two.

4. Knead innuendo into the dough until it’s bursting with sexual tension that would make Nigella’s tomatoes blush. (“You’re on the verge of crumbing any moment.”)

5. Add sugar.

6. In a different bowl, whisk Clark Gregg up until the dad separates from the family – then squish together with Gattlin Griffith, baseballs and bits of DIY until themes of fatherhood spill over onto the table.

7. Dust with Tobey Maguire’s voiceover until the mixture resembles something faintly irritating.

8. Add more sugar.

9. Overheat in an oven for 111 minutes until the sweet smell is unbearable.

10. Take out the pie and serve it up with a big, sincere grin – almost enough to balance out the syrupy aftertaste.

 

Where can I buy or rent Labor Day online in the UK?

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