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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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21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

A gift-wrapped view of pathos -- so sanitized it’s almost creepy.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
06/16/04
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

...a warm fuzzy...

Full Review Source: Talking Pictures (U.S.) | comment Comment
06/09/04
Tony Toscano
Tony Toscano
Talking Pictures (U.S.)

All the adorability in the world can't save Hudson from another plug-ugly comedy.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
06/09/04
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

Rich with clichés, predictability, and happily ever afters, the story never ever leaves its comfort zone to challenge the characters and their relationships, to create tension or conflict, or to throw in the proverbial plot twist.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
06/08/04
Mark Sells
Mark Sells
Film Threat

[Garry Marshall] piles on the cornball touches with the sledgehammer effect of a bad sitcom director.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
06/07/04
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (Australia) | comment Comment
06/07/04
Sunday Times (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Raising Helen can best be described as Jersey Girl with better acting. The idea isn’t that interesting, but at least the people involved seem more committed.

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
06/07/04
Dan Lybarger
Dan Lybarger
Nitrate Online

Click to read the article

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

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
06/05/04
Kimberly Jones
Kimberly Jones
Austin Chronicle

Although Raising Helen boasts a charming cast with a cute factor that's off the cinematic Richter scale, typical Hollywood predictability rears its ugly head too often.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
06/05/04
Tyler Hanley
Tyler Hanley
Palo Alto Weekly

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)

...marshmallow material...has the formulaic flakiness of a tepid situation comedy begging to be renewed for the fall season...a pseudo-sympathetic familial farce

Full Review Source: Movie Eye | comment Comment
06/03/04
Frank Ochieng
Frank Ochieng
Movie Eye

Chills abound in Raising Helen, a macabre tale of three plucky orphans placed in the care of their loving but undead aunt.

Full Review Source: Mixed Reviews | comment Comment
06/02/04
Martin Scribbs
Martin Scribbs
Mixed Reviews

You know those scenes in Shrek 2 in which Puss in Boots stops and makes cutesy, goo-goo kitty eyes at people? Well, this movie is like that look.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
06/02/04
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

...a mediocre movie, content with a contrived screenplay, indifferent direction and lazy performances by most of the cast.

Full Review Source: Sean the Movie Guy | comment Comment
06/01/04
Sean McBride
Sean McBride
Sean the Movie Guy

The film’s trio of kids show virtually no grief other than the occasional pout, a reaction that is more akin to being grounded than having your family torn apart.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
06/01/04
Susan Michals
Susan Michals
FilmStew.com

Sugar is sweet, but not as sweet as "Raising Helen."

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
05/31/04
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

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)

Kate Hudson is sweetly charming, but the movie is almost too sweet.

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
05/30/04
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
05/29/04
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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