Labour of unbelievably romantic mush

A CONVICTED murderer is on the loose in the quiet suburban town of Holton Mills, and the TV news is filled with reports of Frank Chambers' (Josh Brolin) daring escape from hospital and the harm that he may inflict on the local populace. Not to worry, because the only danger is a broken heart or two - belonging to Adele (Kate Winslet) and her 13-year-old son Henry (Gattlin Griffith), whose home Frank is holed up in.

Labor Day is the movie equivalent of a True Romance novel where the women are filled with perpetual hope and longing; and the men are tall, dark and terrific cooks.

Director Jason Reitman appears to have escaped as well - from making quirky quality films such as Thank You for Smoking (2005), Juno (2007) and Up in the Air (2009). How he ended up here is the biggest mystery of all, because Labor Day is pure romantic mush, about as believable as a politician's election-day speech.