Raising Helen (2004)

After her sister and brother-in-law die in a car accident, a young woman becomes the guardian of their three children.

Director:

Garry Marshall

Writers:

Patrick J. Clifton (story), Beth Rigazio (story),

Stars:

Kate Hudson, John Corbett, Joan Cusack

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kate Hudson	...	Helen Harris
John Corbett	...	Pastor Dan Parker
Joan Cusack	...	Jenny Portman
Hayden Panettiere	...	Audrey Davis
Spencer Breslin	...	Henry Davis
Abigail Breslin	...	Sarah Davis
Helen Mirren	...	Dominique
Sakina Jaffrey	...	Nilma Prasad
Kevin Kilner	...	Ed Portman
Felicity Huffman	...	Lindsay Davis
Sean O'Bryan	...	Paul Davis
Amber Valletta	...	Martina
Ethan Browne	...	Devon
Michael Esparza	...	BZ
Katie Carr	...	Caitlin

Storyline

Helen Harris is living the life she's always dreamed of: her career at a top modeling agency is on the rise; she spends her days at fashion shows and her nights at the city's hottest clubs. But her carefree lifestyle comes to a screeching halt when one phone call changes everything. Helen soon finds herself responsible for her sister's children: 15-year-old Audrey, 10-year-old Henry, and 5-year-old Sarah. No one doubts that Helen is the coolest aunt in New York, but what does this glamour girl know about raising kids? The fun begins as Helen goes through the transformation from super-hip to super-mom, but she quickly finds that dancing at 3a.m. doesn't mix with getting kids to school on time--advice that Helen's older sister, Jenny, is only too quick to dish out. Along the way, Helen finds support in the most unusual place--with Dan Parker, the handsome young pastor and principal of the kids' new school--and realizes the choice she has to make is between the life she's always loved ...

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Plot Keywords:

fashion show | love | pastor | female protagonist | dead animal | 

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Taglines:

Helen help us.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic issues involving teens

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Spain] Touchstone Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 May 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Helens små underverk

Filming Locations:

Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£209,201 (UK) (27 August 2004)

Gross:

£463,995 (UK) (3 September 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Beacon Pictures, Mandeville Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Referee for Pastor Dan's Hockey game is introduced as former Olympic skater Scotty Buttons. His name is a combination of the names Scott Hamilton and Dick Button. Both Hamilton and Button were past Gold Medal winners in the Olympics for the United States.

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Goofs

Helen takes the hair stick out of her mouth twice when she is getting ready to go to the club at the beginning of the film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Club Doorman: What we got here; 1,2,3,4 - 4 beautiful ladies. Come on. Cesar let them in. Nice. Not you, too random.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits interacts with the opening scenes, wiping on/off screen with passing persons and objects.

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Connections

References The Exorcist (1973)

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Soundtracks

"Stand Back"
Written by Carole King and Paul Williams
Produced by John Leventhal and Rick Depofi
Performed by Joan Osborne

User Reviews

Better than I expected

When I first saw the trailers for this movie, I thought it might be cute, but I had reservations because everything I've seen Kate Hudson in since "Almost Famous" has been quite disappointing. This one, she finally picked a winner. It didn't hurt that her costar is John Corbett. The two of them actually have pretty good chemistry, and the three kids are cute without being annoying. There were lots of tears in this one...more tears than laughs, maybe. It is a great "chick flick". I will have to wait for the DVD to see the end credits because the theater flubbed up and cut off the film right after the final music crescendoed and you could tell the credits were coming. How annoying. Anyway, I digress. Not sure why this is rated PG13, because I don't remember anything blatantly offensive. Again, I wonder why filmmakers can't just be a little more "delicate" and get those PG ratings. There are so few movies we can enjoy as a family...this one I will probably allow my 9 year old to see. Many people won't because of the rating. Too bad. I recommend this one.