A Little Help (2010)

A woman gets entangled in a series of bizarre lies in order to take care of herself and her 12 year old son.

Director:

Michael J. Weithorn

Writer:

Michael J. Weithorn

Stars:

Jenna Fischer, Jay Klaitz, Daniel Yelsky

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jenna Fischer	...	Laura Pehlke
Jay Klaitz	...	Patient
Daniel Yelsky	...	Dennis Pehlke
Brooke Smith	...	Kathy Helms
Chris O'Donnell	...	Bob Pehlke
Rob Benedict	...	Paul Helms
Zach Page	...	Kyle Helms
Ron Leibman	...	Warren Dunning
Lesley Ann Warren	...	Joan Dunning
Sara Kapner	...	Wendy Helms
James Rebhorn	...	Dr. Bronstein
Michelle Hurst	...	Eileen
Matt Oberg	...	Minister
Douglas Lipman	...	Doug
Carla Briscoe	...	Kristen

Storyline

Dental hygienist Laura Pehlke's marriage has become sexless and dysfunctional. Because she drinks and smokes too much and has let her appearance go, she suspects her husband is cheating on her. When he suddenly dies, she finds herself buckling in to her controlling sister and mother who push her into initiating a lawsuit she doesn't want to pursue against her husband's doctor and sending her introverted, troubled son to an elite private school he doesn't want to attend. Things get more complicated when she finds her son has told classmates his father is a dead 9-11 hero, and her brother-in-law confesses he's always loved her, not her sister. Laura needs "a little help" to deal with her life.

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Plot Keywords:

jarhead | military industrial complex | dental hygienist | private school | latex gloves | 

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Taglines:

Ever have one of those lives?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexual content and drug use

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Parrot: Rinse please!

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Connections

Features The King of Queens: Arthur, Spooner (2002)

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Soundtracks

Help You
Music by Louden Swain
Lyrics by Rob Benedict
Performed by Louden Swain
Courtesy of 3 Car Wreckords

User Reviews

Revised opinion; re-release it after editing it so Fischer gets more close ups and the dialog moves faster.

I like Jenna Fischer. Everybody likes Jenna Fischer. That said, she's like Rashida Jones, great in an ensemble, but nowhere near enough gravitas to pull off the lead. It's a question of intensity. Even in a light weight movie, the lead has to have some sort of inner tension that can be seen and heard. Fischer is just too easy to look past. You can't bring yourself to worry if she's going to be okay, because you know she will be. She radiates that innocent girlishness that makes men instinctively protective. In fact I'd wager that she's one of those women who hasn't gone more than a month without a steady boyfriend since high school, because 'good guys' won't leave her alone. Also, the directing was beyond lazy. I doubt he told anybody what do ever, including the editor. Frankly, I know a pretty talented guy who could recut this and make it a much better film. Honestly, that may be all it needs. Revised opinion, re-release it after cutting it so Fisher gets more close ups and the dialog moves faster. 6 out of 10

Revised, revised Opinion: Wrote review while watching movie (was in about 1:26). Now that it's over my advice is to avoid. Unless you're a hardcore Fischer fan, it's not worth the time investment. Everything that's set up basically just hangs there. The characters don't get smarter (except learning not to tell gigantic lies you can't support). In fact, the writing pretty much loses all direction and just becomes forgettable nonsense with no resolution, point or lesson. 4 out of 10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 July 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Little Help

Filming Locations:

Lafayette Street and Foley Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$44,870, 24 July 2011

Gross USA:

$96,868

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$96,868

Company Credits

Production Co:

Secret Handshake Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16 : 9