This is a sponsored post. I hosted a Labor Day viewing party with my friends and family in exchange for a free copy of the movie on Digital HD. I am in no way affiliated with Paramount or its partners and all opinions expressed are my own. Labor Day is available for digital release on Paramount’s website.
Have I mentioned lately how unbelievably amazing my extended family is? I love Easter for so many reasons, but being able to spend the day with this bunch certainly ranks near the top. We had a superb pot-luck lunch and spent the afternoon outside enjoying the gorgeous weather. My mom says she remembers playing a family game of softball after Easter lunch when she was a little girl. She told me earlier in the week that everyone participated — young and old — and that they played in the pasture in front of her uncle’s house. She asked everyone to wear comfies to Easter lunch this year and we migrated to their front yard for a family game as soon as our bellies were full.
That photograph isn’t even of everybody who spent the afternoon with us. It’s just those she convinced to run around and look ridiculous. There were a few of us on the sidelines taking pictures, kissing boo boos and cheering on the runners. What’s a competitive sport without cheerleaders, right?
I will admit I was a bit skeptical about this “sporting” event, but we had such a great time. Nobody kept score, I have no idea how many innings were played, players swung long after their third strike and I distinctly remember seeing people round bases even after their balls were caught mid-air.
This pretty girl had a blast! She sat in my lap for a minute because she “didn’t want to be on a team anymore”, but she quickly swung the bat and rounded bases with Gran again. We laughed because she clearly doesn’t know the difference between a home run and a touchdown. We have work to do!
Softball wasn’t the only fun thing we did. There was so much food to be eaten — lunch and snacks alike. We watched the kids hide and find Easter eggs, there were books to read, card games upstairs and even an impromptu fashion show.
A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity by Influenster and Paramount to enjoy a complimentary download of their newest release Labor Day. They were looking for people to host viewing parties and enjoy an advanced preview of the movie. I had already downloaded the book on my Kindle and was hoping to finish it before the movie came out on DVD, so this was seriously perfect timing! What better weekend to have a movie party than one where we were already together and spending time with our favorite people?!
In case you’re not familiar with Labor Day, it’s based on the best-selling novel by Joyce Maynard. The synopsis from IMDB reads, “Depressed single mom Adele and her son Henry offer a wounded, fearsome man a ride. As police search town for the escaped convict, the mother and son gradually learn his true story as their options become increasingly limited.”
Josh and I usually agree on most movies, but I must admit we didn’t see eye to eye on this one. I wouldn’t put this in the chick-flick category, by any stretch. It’s definitely a drama with a little hint of romance and mystery, but I think it will certainly appeal more widely to a female audience. The story is set in 1987, but frequents flashbacks to the late sixties and early seventies. The film is a beautiful one and I loved the set design and how the story was treated as a whole. The casting was wonderful — Kate Winslet plays Adele and does a great job of being thoroughly depressed and downtrodden. The story was peculiar from the start. Adele & her son pick up an escaped convict at their monthly trip to the grocery store. What starts out as a few hours of rest for the drifter, ends up being a holiday weekend spent as a makeshift family. I had a hard time wrapping my mind around them accepting a perfect stranger — a convicted felon no less — into their home, but by the end I was sort of in love with Josh Brolin’s character myself and started feeling so sorry for the lives of everyone in the movie! I loved how they treated the ending and there were definitely a few tears shed on my part.
I would definitely recommend the movie to all of my girlfriends and maybe the most sensitive men in my life (hello, dad!), but it might be a bit too romantic and far fetched for the average guy. It’s rated PG-13, but there was very little questionable material and I don’t recall being turned off by any bad language or innuendo. There is one scene that shows the crime Frank is charged with and another when a handicapped boy is slapped my his mother — it was by far the hardest part of the movie for me to watch.Have you read Labor Day? Or watched the film? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
I hope your Easter weekend was equally filled with food, movies, beautiful weather and lots and lots of family! I’ll be back tomorrow and Wednesday to recap more fun from our Easter weekend.
