Raising Helen
AMG AllMovie Guide:
Top
Raising Helen
Plot
Directed by Garry Marshall, Raising Helen revolves around Helen Harris (Kate Hudson), whose successful fashion career and decadent Manhattan lifestyle are plenty in terms of keeping her occupied and content. Helen's days as a socialite are brought to a swift end, however, when she is informed not only of the death of her sister and brother-in-law, but of the decision to leave their three children in her care. Being one of New York's hippest matters little to 15-year-old Audrey (Hayden Panettiere), ten-year-old Henry (Spencer Breslin), and five-year-old Sarah (Abigail Breslin), who would much rather have their parents back. Convinced she can raise the kids and maintain her already fast-paced schedule, Helen quickly finds herself burnt out and disheartened by her older sister's (Joan Cusack) lack of faith. Despite her already hectic schedule, however, Helen finds the time to develop a genuine affection for her new dependents, as well as an equally genuine attraction to Pastor Don Parker (John Corbett), the kids' school principal and local pastor. Eventually, Helen realizes she can't balance the two lives, and is faced with a difficult decision: Does she live her old dreams or take a chance on a new one? ~ Tracie Cooper, RoviCast
- Kate Hudson - Helen Harris
- John Corbett - Pastor Don Parker
- Joan Cusack - Jenny Portman
- Hector Elizondo - Mickey Massey
- Helen Mirren - Dominique
Credit
Bill Hiney - Art Director, David Scharf - Associate Producer, Mali Finn - Casting, Karen Stirgwolt - Co-producer, Todd Lieberman - Co-producer, Gary Jones - Costume Designer, Ellen H. Schwartz - First Assistant Director, Garry Marshall - Director, Scott Marshall - Second Unit Director, David H. Venghaus - Second Unit Director, Bruce Green - Editor, Tara Timpone - Editor, Ellen H. Schwartz - Executive Producer, Mario Iscovich - Executive Producer, John Debney - Composer (Music Score), Dawn Solér - Musical Direction/Supervision, Steven Jordan - Production Designer, Charles Minsky - Cinematographer, Ashok Amritraj - Producer, David Hoberman - Producer, Thomas D. Causey - Sound/Sound Designer, Jack Amiel - Screenwriter, Michael Begler - Screenwriter, Suzette Sheets - Set Decorator, Patrick J. Clifton - Short Story Author, Beth Rigazio - Short Story Author| Raising Flagg (2006 Film), Raising Capital in Turbulent Times (1989 Film) | |
| Raising Heroes (1996 Film), Raising Jeffrey Dahmer (2005 Film) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Raising Helen
| Raising Helen | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster |
|
| Directed by | Garry Marshall |
| Produced by | Ashok Amritraj David Hoberman |
| Written by | Patrick J. Clifton Beth Rigazio (Story) Jack Amiel Michael Begler (Screenplay) |
| Starring | Kate Hudson John Corbett Joan Cusack Hayden Panettiere Spencer Breslin Abigail Breslin Helen Mirren Felicity Huffman |
| Studio | Beacon Pictures Hyde Park Entertainment Mandeville Films |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures |
| Release date(s) | May 28, 2004 |
| Running time | 119 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million[1] |
| Box office | $49,718,611[2] |
Raising Helen is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall and written by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler. It stars Kate Hudson, John Corbett, Joan Cusack, Hayden Panettiere, Spencer and his sister Abigail Breslin and Helen Mirren. It grossed $37,486,138 in its domestic box office.
|
Contents
|
Plot
![[icon]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} |
This section requires expansion. |
Helen Harris (Kate Hudson) is very successful in the fashion industry and has a nice Manhattan lifestyle which keeps her extremely occupied and content. Helen's world suddenly changes when her sister Lindsay (Felicity Huffman) and brother in law Paul (Sean O'Bryan) die in a car accident.
Helen and her other sister Jenny (Joan Cusack) are in shock when they hear Lindsay & Paul left Helen in charge of their three kids: 15-year-old Audrey (Hayden Panettiere), 10-year-old Henry (Spencer Breslin), and five-year-old Sarah (Abigail Breslin). Convinced she can raise the kids and maintain her already fast-paced schedule, Helen quickly finds herself burnt out and disheartened by her responsibilities and Jenny's lack of faith.
Despite her already hectic schedule, however, Helen finds the time to develop a genuine affection for her new dependents, as well as an equally genuine attraction to Dan Parker (John Corbett), the kids' school principal and local Lutheran pastor. Eventually, Helen realizes she can't balance the two lives, and is faced with a difficult decision, her fashion career or her nieces and nephew.
Cast
- Kate Hudson - Helen Harris
- John Corbett - Pastor Dan Parker
- Joan Cusack - Jenny Portman
- Hayden Panettiere - Audrey Davis
- Spencer Breslin - Henry Davis
- Abigail Breslin - Sarah Davis
- Helen Mirren - Dominique
- Sakina Jaffrey - Nilma Prasad
- Kevin Kilner - Ed Portman
- Felicity Huffman - Lindsay Davis
- Sean O'Bryan - Paul Davis
- Amber Valletta - Martina
- Ethan Browne - Devon
- Michael Esparza - BZ
- Katie Carr - Caitlin
- Héctor Elizondo - Mickey Massey
- Larry Miller - Car buyer
Reception
Raising Helen received mostly negative reviews from critics, earning a 23% rating on Rotten Tomatoes which the website calls the film: "as shallow and formulaic as a sitcom."
Box office
The film opened at #4 at the U.S. Box office making $10.9 million USD in its opening weekend behind Troy, The Day After Tomorrow and Shrek 2.
References
External links
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Raising Helen |
- Raising Helen at the Internet Movie Database.
- Raising Helen at Box Office Mojo.
- Raising Helen at Rotten Tomatoes.
- The Top Movies, Weekend of May 28, 2004 at The Numbers.
|
||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
TV listings
Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Movie Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.
Read more
Mentioned in
Raising Helen
(2004 Album by Original Soundtrack)
Josh Kelley
(Rock Artist, 2000s)
Haylie Duff
(Actor, Comedy/Theater)
Hayden Panettiere
(Actor, Comedy/Children's/Family)
John Corbett
(Country Artist, 2000s)
» More