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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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41 - 60 (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
 
 

This ode to the most stifling aspects of family and motherhood make you feel like the hicks have all uprooted themselves and moved into the front office at Touchstone.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
05/29/04
Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor
Salon.com

This is one of Marshall’s worst films to date

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
05/29/04
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

With Raising Helen added to her string of bad movies, the five-year tour exemption Hudson earned for making Almost Famous is almost up.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
05/28/04
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

Almost nothing about Raising Helen rings very true, other than the camera's crush on Kate Hudson.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
05/28/04
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today

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

Even those who seek the undemanding entertainment of life troubles being bravely dealt with might end up wishing they were given more than just sitcom resolutions.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
05/28/04
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star

The movie, more tear-jerker than romantic comedy, gets at how painful, awful and, ultimately, worthwhile it is to be a parent, and, if it takes its time getting to that message, that makes sense.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
05/28/04
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

It's the rare chick-geared movie that is predictable without being boring and touching without being cloying.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
05/28/04
Phoebe Flowers
Phoebe Flowers
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
N/R

Click to read the article

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

There's no real conflict, and the screenplay sometimes approaches idiocy.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
05/28/04
Moira MacDonald
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times

Pulls out all the stops to make [Hudson] adorable, and only the hardhearted will be able to resist her self-deprecating charm and light-up-the-world smile.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
05/28/04
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Far from the worst cookie-cutter film to come off the Hollywood assembly line, merely the latest.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
05/28/04
Ruthe Stein
Ruthe Stein
San Francisco Chronicle

It's a painless, affably sentimental comedy that would make a popular TV series -- and probably will become one.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
05/28/04
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

Like tumbling into chick-flick hell.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
05/28/04
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

Hudson is attractive and amusing, but the role offers little challenge.

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
05/28/04
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Entertaining; it just has virtually no anchor in reality.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
05/28/04
Sarah Chauncey
Sarah Chauncey
Reel.com

Lifetime botox ban to the Hollywood honcho who allowed Garry Marshall to direct a movie about fatal car crashes and orphans.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
05/28/04
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

serious emotional issues... are swept away with the kinds of quick fixes and sudden realizations commonly found in those 'very special episodes' of TV sitcoms.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
05/28/04
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

Ping-pongs back and forth between an approximation of pith and shameless, Family Circus-style treacle.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
05/28/04
Steve Schneider
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Raising Helen

November 17, 2005: Oh It's Already Been Broughten (Part 3)
A fresh press release from Universal informs us that there will soon be a "Bring It On 3" to enjoy, but also reminds us that, hey yeah, there WAS a direct-to-video... More...

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