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Movies / On DVD / Raising Helen
Raising Helen

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Raising Helen (2004)

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Reviews Counted:124

Fresh:27

Rotten:97

Average Rating:4.6/10

Consensus: As shallow and formulaic as a sitcom.

Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: In this heartwarming comedy from director Garry Marshall ("Runaway Bride," "The Princess Diaries"), Helen Harris (Academy Award® nominee KATE HUDSON) is living the life she always dreamed of. Her... In this heartwarming comedy from director Garry Marshall ("Runaway Bride," "The Princess Diaries"), Helen Harris (Academy Award® nominee KATE HUDSON) is living the life she always dreamed of. Her career at a top Manhattan 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 (HAYDEN PANETTIERE), 10-year-old Henry (SPENCER BRESLIN), and 5-year-old Sarah (ABIGAIL BRESLIN). 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 3 a.m. doesn't mix with getting kids to school on time advice that Helen's older sister, Jenny (JOAN CUSACK), is only too quick to dish out. Along the way, Helen finds support in the most unusual place with Dan Parker (JOHN CORBETT), 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 and the new loves of her life. -- © Touchstone Pictures [More]

Starring: Kate Hudson, Hayden Panettiere, Abigail Breslin, Spencer Breslin

Starring: Kate Hudson, Hayden Panettiere, Abigail Breslin, Spencer Breslin, Joan Cusack, John Corbett, Helen Mirren, Hector Elizondo

Director: Garry Marshall

Director: Garry Marshall
Screenwriter: Jack Amiel, Michael Begler
Producer: David Hoberman, Ashok Amritraj, Mario Iscovich, Ellen H. Schwartz
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures

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Reviews for Raising Helen

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The latest urban fairy tale from Pretty Woman's Marshall sees the director continue his descent into underwritten schmaltz at the expense of genuine wit and warmth.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/28/04
Liz Beardsworth
Liz Beardsworth
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
08/28/04
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Shiny, undemanding and deeply fake.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
05/11/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

This isn't funny enough or dramatic enough.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
06/15/04
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's shallow and obvious, so totally dishonest you keep reaching back in your seat to make sure it didn't lift your wallet.

Full Review Source: Dallas Observer | comment 1 Comment
05/28/04
Robert Wilonsky
Robert Wilonsky
Dallas Observer

It's like two hours of the worst sitcom you've ever seen.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
05/28/04
E! Online
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N/R

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Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
05/28/04
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
05/29/04
Boston Phoenix
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Full Review Source: Sunday Times (Australia) | comment Comment
06/07/04
Sunday Times (Australia)
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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The adorable Hudson's onscreen transformation from party girl to supermom seems forced, and Marshall's efforts to pass her off as the next Julia Roberts-style every girl are irritating.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
05/28/04
Angel Cohn
Angel Cohn
TV Guide's Movie Guide

[T]here’s something comforting about the predictability of Raising Helen: The movie’s only surprise is that it works so well.

Full Review Source: Lowell Sun | comment Comment
05/27/04
Austin O'Connor
Austin O'Connor
Lowell Sun

Makes the erroneous suggestion that a woman can't possibly create a life of beauty and meaning without the patter of little feet.

Full Review Source: Roanoke Times (Virginia) | comment Comment
05/31/04
Beth Jones
Beth Jones
Roanoke Times (Virginia)

A heartwarming comedy that makes you think as well as laugh.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
05/10/04
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
06/05/04
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
FilmJerk.com

A must-miss of snoringly mediocre proportions.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
05/10/04
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

Marshall pulls off some delicately serious moments. Problem is, most of this movie is supposed to be funny, and more often than not, it isn’t.

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
06/04/04
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

[Hudson] melds her radiance to a budding maternal soulfulness.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
05/28/04
Bruce Westbrook
Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle

As far as heartwarming comedies go, this one has all the parts necessary: the heart, the warmth, and the comedy.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
11/01/06
CT Staff
CT Staff
Christianity Today
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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November 17, 2005: Oh It's Already Been Broughten (Part 3)
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