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by Willie Waffle



Raising Helen

Kate Hudson tries so hard to entertain us, but she should take some of that energy and use it to help her pick better movies. Raising Helen might be winner of Worst Movie To Use A Devo Song.

Hudson plays Helen - a successful, single New York modeling agency employee on the verge of becoming an agent. Sadly, her sister, Lindsay (Felicity Huffman), and brother-in-law tragically die, and grant her custody of their three children in the New Jersey suburbs. Helen's other sister and the perfect Martha Stewart Living mother, Jenny (Joan Cusack), is shocked to have been passed over (kind of like Fredo), and doesn't think the family wild child can handle the new responsibility. Helen's not so sure either.

Can Helen help these three children at the hardest point in their lives? Can they become a new family?

Raising Helen is likable, formulaic, predictable, overly sentimental schlock. You're going to find something to like in the movie (Hudson), but there's plenty to dislike as well (oddly, supposedly meaningful use of that Devo song). First, just because one montage can be fun, Director Garry Marshall should not insert three or four of them like he does here. It can be a powerful tool to set a mood and show many important plot elements with some music to help set the tone, but Marshall goes to the well too much in Raising Helen. He also provides a very awkward transition from the sadness of the funeral into the comedic portion of the movie where Helen and the kids have their wacky adventures as fish out of water in Queens.

Writers Jack Amiel and Michael Begler can't settle on one plot to keep the action moving, so we are given hints of several, which all seem to get their own, contrived "special moment" climax, which is, again, too much. Pick one or two and develop them, don't try to come up with several meaningful endings from several threads of sub-plots. It's about the kids, it's about Helen's possible romance with a new man, it's about Helen's problems with the oldest daughter, whatever, JUST PICK ONE! By the way, the whole plot sounds too familiar to anyone who caught the superior Jersey Girl.

Worst of all, Marshall practically wastes a wonderful performance and characterization by Cusack. Her jealousy about not becoming the kids' guardian is odd and too petty for any of us to believe. It's too weird and unrealistic even by movie standards. Also, Jenny is supposed to be the one who sort of trains Helen on how to be a Mom, but we already have that character in Helen's next door neighbor. The repetition is unnecessary, and splits the action too much between New York and New Jersey.

On the positive, you can't help but love that cutie, Kate Hudson (No, I am NOT thinking with my pants). She's so adorable! Hudson has that special, movie star charm that makes a guy like me forgive every bad movie choice she has made, so I'll probably forgive her for this one as well. However, she better make better choices because it is Jennifer Garner wearing the crown of The Next Julia Roberts, not Hudson. She elevates the predictable and mundane in Raising Helen and makes sparks fly with her romantic interest, Pastor Dan (John Corbett). Corbett is no slouch in the charming category either. He delivers his lines with smooth charm and a nonchalance that makes them even funnier. More focus on this part of the movie would have made it a better one.

Raising Helen is one that will have its fans, but don't count me among them. It goes for the obvious too often.

1 ½ Waffles (Out Of 4)

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