On a recent visit to my friend Libbie's house, I arrived right at the beginning of Raising Helen,
a 2004 movie that I'd often seen advertised but had never watched. She,
on the other hand, had watched it several times and found it very
enjoyable, so we decided to watch it together. Directed by Garry
Marshall, this lovely little film tells the tale of a free-spirited
young woman whose life turns topsy-turvy after her sister and
brother-in-law die in a car accident and she learns that her sister
wanted her to have custody of their three kids.
Kate Hudson portrays Helen, who agrees to take in the trio. Heroes star Hayden Panettiere plays teenaged Audrey, who hopes her hip aunt will indulge her rebellious streak, while siblings Spencer and Abigail Breslin play Henry, a morbid boy with a pet turtle and a love of basketball, and Sarah, the adorable youngster who projects all her feelings onto her stuffed hippo.
There's a lot of gentle humor in the film as we see Helen struggle to adjust to a new way of life. As the baby of the family, she doesn't have much practice with child-rearing, so she has to wing it, with a little help from her formidable neighbor Nilma (Sakina Jaffrey) and her overbearing sister Jenny (Joan Cusack), who believes she should have guardianship instead.
One neat thing about this movie is seeing actors like Panettiere and Felicity Huffman, who plays Helen's doomed sister Lindsay, before they became television sensations. The film also features Hector Elizondo, who I always have found charming whenever I've encountered him on screen. In addition to the solid cast, it's a very sweet story. While there is an endearing romantic storyline, the most significant relationship development occurs among Helen, Jenny and the three children, whom both of them love dearly.
There were two aspects of this movie that really made me smile. For one thing, the movie takes place largely in Queens, and as soon as the borough was mentioned I got excited because Simon and Garfunkel were raised there, and I hoped that might yield a reference. Much to my delight, a scene near the middle of the film involves a trip to the zoo with the backdrop of my favorite duo's At the Zoo.
Secondly, I am a lifelong Lutheran, and aside from Garrison Keillor's tales on Prairie Home Companion, we tend not to turn up much in media, unassuming folk that we are. Lars and the Real Girl, which beautifully expresses a grace-filled theological viewpoint, is one movie that specifically features Lutherans. This is another. In fact, Helen's love interest, Dan (John Corbett), is a Lutheran pastor.
I'm not sure why it took me so long to catch this movie, but I'm glad I finally did. A sweet film about family and the triumph of love over grief and seemingly impossible obstacles, Raising Helen raised my spirits.
Kate Hudson portrays Helen, who agrees to take in the trio. Heroes star Hayden Panettiere plays teenaged Audrey, who hopes her hip aunt will indulge her rebellious streak, while siblings Spencer and Abigail Breslin play Henry, a morbid boy with a pet turtle and a love of basketball, and Sarah, the adorable youngster who projects all her feelings onto her stuffed hippo.
There's a lot of gentle humor in the film as we see Helen struggle to adjust to a new way of life. As the baby of the family, she doesn't have much practice with child-rearing, so she has to wing it, with a little help from her formidable neighbor Nilma (Sakina Jaffrey) and her overbearing sister Jenny (Joan Cusack), who believes she should have guardianship instead.
One neat thing about this movie is seeing actors like Panettiere and Felicity Huffman, who plays Helen's doomed sister Lindsay, before they became television sensations. The film also features Hector Elizondo, who I always have found charming whenever I've encountered him on screen. In addition to the solid cast, it's a very sweet story. While there is an endearing romantic storyline, the most significant relationship development occurs among Helen, Jenny and the three children, whom both of them love dearly.
There were two aspects of this movie that really made me smile. For one thing, the movie takes place largely in Queens, and as soon as the borough was mentioned I got excited because Simon and Garfunkel were raised there, and I hoped that might yield a reference. Much to my delight, a scene near the middle of the film involves a trip to the zoo with the backdrop of my favorite duo's At the Zoo.
Secondly, I am a lifelong Lutheran, and aside from Garrison Keillor's tales on Prairie Home Companion, we tend not to turn up much in media, unassuming folk that we are. Lars and the Real Girl, which beautifully expresses a grace-filled theological viewpoint, is one movie that specifically features Lutherans. This is another. In fact, Helen's love interest, Dan (John Corbett), is a Lutheran pastor.
I'm not sure why it took me so long to catch this movie, but I'm glad I finally did. A sweet film about family and the triumph of love over grief and seemingly impossible obstacles, Raising Helen raised my spirits.
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