Heaven Help Us (1985)

A new transfer student to St. Basil's Boys' Prep School tries to fit in while romantically pursuing a troubled young girl.

Director:

Michael Dinner

Writer:

Charles Purpura

Stars:

Donald Sutherland, John Heard, Andrew McCarthy

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Donald Sutherland	...	Brother Thadeus
John Heard	...	Brother Timothy
Andrew McCarthy	...	Michael Dunn
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Danni
Kevin Dillon	...	Rooney
Malcolm Danare	...	Caesar
Jennifer Dundas	...	Boo (as Jennie Dundas)
Kate Reid	...	Grandma
Wallace Shawn	...	Father Abruzzi
Jay Patterson	...	Brother Constance
George Anders	...	Brother Augustus
Dana Barron	...	Janine
John Eric Bentley	...	First Man (as John Bentley)
Imogene Bliss	...	Cook
Philip Bosco	...	Brother Paul

Storyline

Sixteen-year-old Michael Dunn arrives at St. Basil's Catholic Boys School in Brooklyn circa 1965. There, he befriends all of the misfits in his class as they collide with the repressive faculty and discover the opposite sex as they come of age.

---

Plot Keywords:

catholic school | preparatory school | dating | school library | underage smoking | 

---

Taglines:

Brooklyn, 1965. For the boys of St. Basil's it's easier to be a sinner than a saint.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 February 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Catholic Boys

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), Silver Screen Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Patrick Dempsey's film debut.

---

Goofs

Though set in 1965, virtually every school bus in the film was manufactured in the late-1970s and early-1980s. Most of them were built on truck cowls that didn't exist at the time, and contained features such as amber flashing lights next to the red ones above the windshield, which didn't exist in New York State until 1973.

---

Quotes

Rooney: I've been kicked off the track team, and without track my grades will be based on
[pause]
Rooney: my grades.

---

Connections

Features Gunga Din (1939)

---

Soundtracks

"Shotgun"
Performed by Jr. Walker & The All Stars

User Reviews

Underrated

This gentle, warm comedy set in a Catholic school in New York in 1965 seems to have been overlooked for a longtime. Maybe it got lost amongst the so called 'Brat Pack' movies of the mid eighties or maybe the name change to 'Catholic Boys' for it's UK release didn't help it's recognition. This is certainly a hidden gem with plenty of funny lines from Rooney (Dillon) and a nice understated romance between Michael (McCarthy) and Danni (Masterson) that doesn't get in the way of the plot.However most terrifying are the Brothers presence and their interpertation of the catholic religion. If their is a longer director's cut I would definatly like to see it on DVD. This film is certainly well worth a look at.