Raising Helen (Full Screen Edition)
by Garry Marshall
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Hayden Panettiere, Joan Cusack, John Corbett, Kate Hudson, Spencer BreslinDirector: Garry Marshall
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 119 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-10-12
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Touchstone / Disney
Movie Reviews of Raising Helen (Full Screen Edition)
Movie Review: Formulaic yet forgivable because of Hudson's undeniable charm...
Summary: 3 Stars
Kate Hudson is adorable. We all know this, we all agree with this, we all believe this wholesouled and the probably explains why we can't stay away from her movies, no matter how ridiculously unoriginal they may be. That said; `Raising Helen' is one of those `been there done that, seen it all before' type films that, staring any other actor would be wept under the table and forgotten about long before it was ever released, but because it stars the undeniably luminous Hudson we all flock to it in hordes and adore it respectfully.
Yes, I like this movie, even though technically I don't think I'm supposed to.
The film tells the story of young, single, working woman Helen who has a huge career in the fashion world ahead of her. She has everything going in the right direction; that is until her older sister Lindsay dies tragically and leaves her three kids in the care of Helen. Helen seems like the odd choice. She is goofy and single and seemingly unstable (even though her job is secure), and her other sister Jenny is married with children, responsible and `motherly', yet Lindsay chooses Helen to care for her children, and this sends shockwaves through the bones of everyone involved. Helen has to get another apartment, she has to lessen her work load, she has to branch out in the community, and all of this puts a strain on her life. Jenny has to struggle with hurt feelings as she feels like the better mother for the job and is outraged that Lindsay didn't see things that way. Throw into the mix some teenage hormones and a cute preacher by the name of Pastor Dan and you have a sweet yet very familiar romantic dramedy that will suffice if there is nothing better to watch.
Hudson is adorable. I think I already said that. This is no exception. She effortlessly shifts through each scene with believable likableness and earns our love and adoration. I just really wish she would do something else with her career. She was so promising in `Almost Famous' and I really thought that she would capitalize on that Oscar nomination by advancing for a more mature career, but she seems stuck making the same ol' same romantic comedy, one right after the other. John Corbett is effective as the love interest. He's handsome and charming he possesses this magnetic like manner, where you just know he is the right guy. The film belongs to Joan Cusack though; I mean really, she should be in every movie (or at least every comedy). She perfectly knows how to create a grounded character that is funny yet sincere. I just love her.
`Raising Helen' is a sweet movie, and it has its moments (not to mention a hilarious supporting turn by Sakina Jaffrey) but I cannot lie to you and tell you that it is wonderful or even a must see. I own this (I bought it before actually watching it because I love Kate Hudson...did I say that yet?) but it is not a film that I gather around to watch on a regular basis. There are far better films that follow this same formula out there, so I'd recommend one of those before this one. That said; this is still entertaining and, if you happen to catch it I can honestly say that you won't regret it.
Summary of Raising Helen (Full Screen Edition)
Academy Award(R) nominee Kate Hudson (Best Supporting Actress, ALMOST FAMOUS, 2000; HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS) lights up the screen with John Corbett (MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING) in this hit romantic comedy from the director of THE PRINCESS DIARIES and PRETTY WOMAN! Helen Harris (Hudson) has a glamorous, big-city life ... working for one of New York's hottest modeling agencies. But suddenly her free-spirited life gets turned upside down when she must chose between the life she's always loved ... and the new loves of her life! Also starring Joan Cusack (IN & OUT), RAISING HELEN is a laugh-filled treat you're sure to fall in love with!Kate Hudson wrestles with unlikely motherhood in Raising Helen, a comedy directed with the smooth professionalism of Garry Marshall, the man who brought us such cinematic fairy tales as Pretty Woman and The Princess Diaries. Helen (Hudson, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) is an adorable hipster whose swift rise up the fashion industry ladder gets sideswiped when she finds herself responsible for raising three children, left in her care by the untimely death of one of her sisters. It's a standard frivolous-girl-grows-up story with an uneven script, but solidly performed by Hudson, John Corbett (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), ever-sexy Helen Mirren (Calendar Girls), and especially Joan Cusack (In and Out, Addams Family Values), who takes an obnoxious, uptight suburban mom and makes her the movie's emotional core. It's a miracle of acting alchemy; Cusack is one of contemporary comedy's most crucial performers. --Bret Fetzer
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