Filmmaker Glenn Silber examines a labor union that embodied the grassroots momentum of Obama's presidential campaign and played a pivotal role in his election. The documentary includes interviews with journalist Ted Koppel and Newsweek senior editor Jonathan Alter, as well as a number of politicians. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
Director Glenn Silber's look at how window washers, public employees, janitors and other working men and women played a role in 2008's political events is heartening, and yet, a year after being filmed, unintentionally aggravating.
I'd call Glenn Silber's Labor Day a well-intentioned but dull, video-ugly documentary if it weren't partly financed by its subject, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU); that just makes it a crappy infomercial.
There's only so much rah-rah-sis-boom-ba you can take about a President elected on the premise of ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, who has merely followed in his predecessor's footsteps of starving the U.S. into dirt.
Mildly engaging, but lacks sufficient insight, intrigue and provocativeness to rise above the kind of footage you'd typically find in an infomercial or, worse, in propaganda.
. No opinion seems to stray from the talking points. Everybody's giddy to stump. Everyday. This makes the film feel padded and rinsed. Is the director solely trying to please his subjects?
The film never finds drama, focus or any greater purpose other than some dubious horn-blowing about the SEIU being singularly responsible for electing President Obama.
No quotes approved yet for Labor Day. Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'Labor Day'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
Top Critic
