Raising Helen (Widescreen Edition)

Media:	DVD
Directed by:	Garry Marshall
Starring:	Kate Hudson, John Corbett, Joan Cusack
Release date:	12 October, 2004
List price:	~~$29.99~~
Our price:	$26.99 that is 10% off!

Raising Helen (Widescreen Edition)

Average rating: Stars

The movie was good.

The plot was good, I really enjoyed the sister relationship that Kate and Joan had. They really played well off each other. I think that the movie had wonderful way about it. It flowed nice, and reminded you that you have to choose what you want in life, and move for it. Sometimes it isn't what you always think you want.

I am not a huge Kate fan. She acts the same in every movie. I guess I am looking for a change in her. But the kids were great actors, and I thought it was well told. This is a good movie. You'll enjoy it.

Raising Helen (Widescreen Edition) - Kate Hudson, John Corbett and more

Was It Really Only 119 Minutes Long?

Seemed more like 299 minutes. Although at times pleasant and enjoyable, "Raising Helen" could benefit from some serious trimming. It could also have benefited from better audio and a little more setting up before the car accident-the reasons for the deceased sister's decision to appoint Helen (who was a younger version of herself) as her children's guardian is one of the three cool things about this movie and should have been set up better.

The second cool thing is the scene where the three children are sitting together in the closet after the funeral. And the coolest thing is the first shoelace tying scene with little Abigail Breslin. That scene was done perfectly and will probably be the only thing I will think of whenever "Raising Helen" is mentioned. Abigail can do "serious" better than any actor/actress her age. Her brother, Spencer, was fine but once the director had cast him they should have rewritten his part and replaced all jock references; he looks a lot more nerd than athlete.

I never even knew that Kate Hudson existed before seeing this movie; I probably have had confused her with Katie Holmes. Nothing I saw here will cause me to either seek out or to avoid her movies in the future. Since this is how I feel about Holmes I will probably continue to confuse them.

Helen's romance gives the movie one story too many. It is borderline moronic and beyond salvage, leaving every frame of it on the cutting room floor would have improved the movie.

My guess is the real target audience is teenage girls, who can relate to Helen's nightclub adventures and Audrey's coming of age stuff. Hayden Panettiere has grown up very nicely and is well cast as every parent's nightmare "too hot for her own good" teenage daughter.

The obvious comparison for "Raising Helen" is "Uptown Girls", to which it finishes a poor second. In large part this is because of the script rather than the direction. But since the director is responsible for casting some of the blame belongs there. The lead character in both movies has a lot of young Lucille Ball qualities; making Brittany Murphy a perfect choice and Hudson a very poor substitute.

Kate Hudson, John Corbett and more - Raising Helen (Widescreen Edition)

The best movie

Raising Helen is my favorite move ever. It's about a single woman who inherits her sisters children and her struggles. I love this movie and I watch it every time i'm in the mood for a real tearjerker with a happy ending.