Raising Helen is not a “family sitcom.” True, the plot has the elements of a teenage drama and anyone familiar with Garry Marshall’s projects will recognize his repetitive choices for the supporting roles. Nevertheless, Raising Helen still has some noticeable pointers up. It doesn’t try so hard to be a classic romantic comedy, because the story is a little turned around. Kate Hudson is completely in charge of her role as Helen, a woman who clearly needs to grow up and start acting like an adult. Her clubbing and fashion diva habits coincide with her bubbly, care-free, and childish personality, the notion of “responsibility” totally non-existent in her world. However, reality forces Helen to wake up when one of her sisters dies and leaves her the sole guardian of three children. Raising Helen begins the challenge of raising and taking care of a family single-handedly, but it doesn’t finish it.
Usually, the most comical moments appear when Helen has to adapt in some way to her new family lifestyle and this concept of unselfishness that she has a hard time understanding. The pressures of work and home require outside help, which is where Joan Cusack joins in as Helen’s third mom-savvy sister and John Corbett becomes a genuine romantic interest for Helen (despite his being a pastor). Cusack's practical advice and sensible attitude are the complete opposite of Helen’s, which doesn’t necessarily mean that either is always right in regards to their behavior. On a side note, Hayden Panettiere co-stars as the teenage rebel who causes a lot of the film’s climaxes. Raising Helen certainly does not have the most original storyline, the best comedic lines, or the most romantic atmosphere. However, it still manages to balance its exhibit of real family values alongside its romantic pictures and its focus on a wayward woman who needs solid grounding in her life. It’s not sticky, sweet, or crude, but it’s satirical and eccentric as the story works around fashion runways, school problems, religion, and work issues.
Raising Helen is available on DVD wherever movies are sold in Fresno and online; it also can be rented for free from local libraries.
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