Raising Helen (Kate Hudson)

(Amazon UK link)

We wanted something light to watch, so we decided on ‘Raising Helen’, a film which we first saw in 2014. My husband had forgotten it entirely; I remembered just an early scene around a dinner table with three sisters, one of whom was going to have a tragic accident. It’s no spoiler to say this, as the whole premise of the film is a young, single career-minded woman suddenly having to raise three children.

However I had entirely forgotten the opening sequences of the film. These are where we see the young woman (Kate Hudson) involved in the world of fashion, where she works as a successful agent, often flying around the country and working many late nights. I was also slightly puzzled that Kate Hudson’s character is called Helen, yet I was pretty sure she was the one who was going to end up doing the raising…

The bulk of the film involves Helen doing what she can to balance work and full-time parenting, something for which she does not feel at all ready. Fourteen-year-old Audrey (Hayden Panettiere) already has a fake ID and hangs out with unsuitable friends; Helen has been her ally up to now, so it’s a bit of a shock to both of them when Helen suddenly becomes an authority figure.

Henry (Spencer Breslin) is the second child, apparently quite stolid, caring more about his turtle than anything else. But while he’s always been keen on sport, in particular basketball, he suddenly refuses to join in anything. And then there’s little Sarah (Abigal Breslin) who believes her parents have just gone away for a while… and appears to be coping but little things can send her into tears of despair.

The children are an absolute delight; we were particularly impressed at Sarah, who is only supposed to to five although apparently the actress was a couple of years older when the film was made, and has gone on to be a popular and talented star. Her facial expressions and moods feel entirely believable and she delivers her lines perfectly. 

There’s a low-key romantic thread too, involving a friendly Lutheran Pastor called Dan (John Corbett - we couldn’t think where we had seen him before and had to look it up afterwards, with a ‘duh’ moment when we discovered that he was the male lead in ‘My Big Greek Fat Wedding’. Helen meets Dan when she enquires about a smaller, friendlier school that the children can all go to as they don’t want to be separated. I liked the low-key Christian thread, and a pastor shown as intelligent, caring, red-blooded and very human with a quirky sense of humour. 

I also very much appreciated that although this film is made for adults, it’s entirely clean. Rated PG, with a warning that some children might be traumatised by the idea of parents dying suddenly, there’s nothing that would offend any but the most prudish of parents. Having said that, there are many scantily-clad women in the fashion scenes; Audrey also likes to wear revealing clothes. There are some scenes that become a bit intense, with some yelling, but there’s no violence or extreme anger.  However there are no scenes of intimacy, or even innuendos.  I don’t recall any bad language, either. 

It’s really not a film for children, even though two of the main cast are children; it’s about Helen and the way she changes - helped in part by her older sister Jenny (Joan Cusack) who is quite uptight and very organised, and also a very strong woman. 

We both enjoyed the film very much and appreciated the ‘bloopers’ and ‘deleted scenes’ that were on the DVD as extras. Definitely recommended.

Review copyright 2023 Sue's DVD Reviews

Raising Helen (Kate Hudson, John Corbett)

(Amazon UK link)

Browsing films a couple of years ago I saw 'Raising Helen' recommended to me by Amazon. The reviews mostly seemed positive, and although I wasn't really familiar with any of the cast. So it went on my wishlist and I forgot about it; so I was pleased to receive it for Christmas last year. Our 25-year-old son had not seen it, so with a spare evening a few days ago we sat down as a family to watch it.

Three grown-up sisters, celebrating a birthday. Two fairly laid-back, one quite stressed and rigid in her views. Two with families, one - the youngest - a glamorous career-girl. Tragedy strikes, and Helen (Kate Hudson) suddenly finds herself trying to house and raise three children: a moody teenage girl, a depressed pre-teen boy, and a smaller girl...

For a romantic comedy, this film starts in rather a dramatic way and has a thread of tragedy running through it, yet I thought it was very well handled. The three children are entirely believable, dealing with their grief in their different ways. We don't see scenes of trauma, just snapshots that felt poignantly real. Overall it's an encouraging story with quite a message of hope about working terrible situations.

It's also about the difficulties of balancing a career with parenthood, and as such might well upset some; yet, once again, the way it's handled seems quite realistic. As a parent myself (though never a glamorous wedded-to-career person) I could empathise quite strongly with Helen's difficulties.

It's not laugh-aloud funny, although there are plenty of light-hearted moments. Inevitably there's a growing romance, but it's not a passionate one - instead, it grows out of a low-key developing friendship. Unusually, and much to our relief, nobody was shown leaping into bed after the first kiss. The language is clean, too. There's plenty of love and understanding, and while there's a caricatured Asian neighbour (Sakina Jaffrey) who introduces a bit of slapstick, there's a likeable and believable pastor (John Corbett) who is neither elderly nor a dork.

I wouldn't rate this amongst my absolute favourites, but overall, we all enjoyed it very much. More thought-provoking than many films of this genre, and nicely done.

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews