Monday, April 21, 2014

Labor Day.

No, I don't have my holidays mixed up! Over the weekend I hosted a movie-watching party to view Paramount's new Labor Day that is out now for digital download. 

I enlisted Anna, Kayla, and Mom to watch the movie with me. There's a peach pie recipe that goes along with the movie, but because it's not quite peach season, I thought I'd just stick to popcorn. We are popcorn fans in our family. We picked up movie theater popcorn and because it was Easter weekend, I made some fun Easter-themed popcorn {I'll include a SO simple how-to below}. 



{Sometimes hiring a four year old photographer is not the best idea....}

I went into the movie not really knowing what to expect. The Kate Winslett / Josh Brolin movie was one that wasn't even on my radar when it was in theaters so I wasn't even sure what it was about. I got the impression that it wasn't a happy-go-lucky movie, but that was all of my knowledge about it.

Y'all, I don't have enough good things to say about the movie. Oh my word. It is NOT an uplifting, butterflies-and-unicorns movie, but it is so, so good.

We meet our narrator, Henry, as a young teenager who lives with his single mother who suffers from depression and possibly agoraphobia. Because it's almost time for another year of school to begin, Henry's mother Adele gathers her courage to take Henry to the store for a new back-t0-school wardrobe. While they're shopping a man approaches Henry and asks if he and his mother might be willing to help him. Because of Adele's problems, she doesn't at all put up a fight when he asks her for a ride. She seems to want to panic but has absolutely no idea what to do so she just does what he tells her to do. The three get into her car and the man instructs her to take them to her house where he can rest.

As the story unfolds we learn that the man, Frank, is a convicted murderer who has escaped from a local hospital after an appendectomy got him a prison vacation to the hospital. He jumped out a window of the hospital and ran - directly into Henry and Adele. Henry and Adele have absolutely no idea what to do. Frank ties Adele to a chair in the kitchen, but he also cooks them a meal. They can't decide whether he's an okay guy or someone to be afraid of.

As the weekend progresses, Frank can be found doing odd-jobs around the home. Things needed fixing and replacing and Frank spends every second doing whatever needs to be done. Henry and Adele become more and more comfortable around him as he proves to be a very kind person.

I don't want to spoil anything else {because I'd encourage you to watch for yourself!}, but I will say that as Adele's and Frank's stories unfold, we begin to see another amazing story begin.

I enjoyed the movie so much that I immediately downloaded Joyce Maynard's book by the same name to read soon. The movie is heartfelt and touching and I can't wait to read the novel.


Sweet and Salty Popcorn:
You cannot go wrong with this! Start with microwave popcorn {unbuttered is best but I didn't have any}. I topped it with M&Ms and melted white Almond Bark but you can add ANYTHING. James and I really love chocolate chips and caramel bits on ours. Peanuts, any bite size candy you have in your pantry, sprinkles, etc. Lay the popcorn out on a cookie sheet and drizzle Almond Bark on top. Let everything cool and harden before serving. Mmmm!

I'd love to hear what you thought of the movie if you've seen it! 

Disclosure: I hosted a Labor Day viewing party with my friends and Paramount gave me a copy of the movie on Digital HD. I am not affiliated with or sponsored by Paramount.  I was chosen by Influenster to host the party. I received the movie in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

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