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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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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

Many scenes were shot at Saint Michaels Grammar, Saint Michaels High School and Saint Michaels Church in Brooklyn N.Y., Sunset Park section.

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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.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

References A Hard Day's Night (1964)

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Soundtracks

"I've Been Loving You Too Long"
by Otis Redding

User Reviews

Good, but bites off more than it can chew

"Heaven Help Us" is a warm, funny, and insightful look at Catholic high school life in the 60s. The cast is great, and I'm glad they cast actors who actually look like teenagers, instead of actors in their 20s. I'm also glad the movie had some serious moments, because it makes all the antics and events all the more realistic.

These serious moments are the best parts of the movie. Unfortunately, a lot of them seem undernourished - I have to agree with a writer of an earlier user comment that this movie seems to have been cut down in the editing room. As a result, many subplots seem unfinished or lacking detail, and this includes the characters of some of the Brothers.

I enjoyed this movie a lot, but I would love to see a director's cut one day.