--- description: It's not quite as illustrious a group as those set on July 4th, but they'll certainly get the job done title: Labor Day Movies: Six to Watch This Weekend image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 6 Movies Set on Labor Day That You Can Watch This Weekend by [Eric Dodds](/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 29, 2014 1:00 PM CUT by [Eric Dodds](/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 29, 2014 1:00 PM CUT **_Labor Day_** Synopsis: It’s a rather apt way to start the list. The 2013 romance-drama starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin follows the plot of your typical, average Labor Day weekend: caring for your teenage son while beginning an affair with a ruggedly handsome escaped convict. We’ve all been there. Where to watch: Rentable from Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, others. **_Dirty Dancing_** Synopsis: 1987\. Dancing. Sexual awakenings. Patrick Swayze. Abortion. Lenny Briscoe from _Law & Order_. An investigation into the matter of whether Baby can actually be put into a corner. It all culminates on Labor Day weekend — in case you’re wondering how your summer might end. Where to watch: Streaming on Netflix until Labor Day (Sept. 1) itself. **_A Good Old-Fashioned Orgy_** Synopsis: The 2011 ensemble comedy featuring a bunch of 30-something actors that you’d likely recognize (Jason Sudeikis, Lake Bell, Nick Kroll, Will Forte, etc.) is more or less about what the title indicates. If they were 20-somethings, it would have been on July 4th weekend rather than Labor Day. Where to watch: A trip to your good, old-fashioned video rental store will be required (or you can buy a copy, including this one [selling for $299](http://www.amazon.com/GOOD-OLD-FASHIONED-ORGY/dp/B00GLOX20E/ref=sr%5F1%5F4?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-4&keywords=good+old+fashioned+orgy "undefined")) **_Picnic_** Synopsis: The 1955 film tells the story of what can happen in just 24 hours when one former college football star-turned-army man-turned-failed-actor (William Holden) visits a small Kansas town on Labor Day. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, and won for Best Film Editing and Best Art Direction-Set Direction. Where to watch: See above (minus the $299 option). **_Peyton Place_** Synopsis: Unlike some of the others, 1956’s _Peyton Place_ wasn’t set entirely on Labor Day, but it makes up for that by having Lana Turner and earning nine Academy Awards (not to mention inspiring a popular TV series that began in 1964). Where to watch: Rentable from Google Play and others. **_A Place in the Sun_** Synopsis: The first of the Hollywood classics to be set on Labor Day, _A Place in the Sun_ (1951) was an early twist on the classic love triangle tale. Starring Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, it was nominated for nine Oscars and won six, including for Best Screenplay and Best Director. Where to watch: Streaming for free via Amazon Prime Instant Video. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3197094/labor-day-movies/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3197094/labor-day-movies/"},"headline":"6 Movies Set on Labor Day That You Can Watch This Weekend","datePublished":"2014-08-29T13:00:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T09:53:18.505Z","description":"It's not quite as illustrious a group as those set on July 4th, but they'll certainly get the job done if you're looking to get in the end-of-summer spirit","url":"https://time.com/3197094/labor-day-movies/","keywords":["movies","Labor Day","Trailers"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Dodds","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3197094/labor-day-movies/","name":"6 Movies Set on Labor Day That You Can Watch This Weekend"}}]}] ```