ThiefHott Too much of everything

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

SnoopyStyle Helen Harris (Kate Hudson) is devoted to the single life and works for Dominique (Helen Mirren) at her modeling agency. Her sister Lindsay Davis (Felicity Huffman) lives the opposite life with three kids in New Jersey. When Lindsay and her husband die in a car accident, the cool aunt is forced to be the guardian to Audrey (Hayden Panettiere), Henry (Spencer Breslin) and Sarah (Abigail Breslin). The other sister Jenny Portman (Joan Cusack) considers herself the responsible one and is shocked that she's left out as the guardian. Helen is overwhelmed. Pastor Dan Parker (John Corbett) is the kids' new school principal.It's not that particularly hilarious. It's trying more towards touching. Killing off the parents early on will do that to a movie. The family is lovable. The kids are adorable. Kate Hudson is lovely. It's a family drama with enough light moments. The tough poignant moments are cliché but still work. It's a lovely cinematic family to root for. I rather not have the romance with the priest. It's problematic as a rom-com but the characters are still charming enough. Doesn't she have enough to deal with?

mohdjad70 Raising Helen is a beautiful film which takes care of a very sensitive topic in our society of raising someone's children whom you have known very well. It is one of those films. It tells the story of a free spirited woman (Helen) who works hard and enjoys her life to the full. But due to the calamitous death of her sister and brother-in-law she gets chosen to be the legal guardian of their children instead of her other sister who is unlike her. The story goes on by how Helen copes with the situation to try to become a successful working single mom.Kate Hudson as Helen gives an outstanding performance. I never did like her that much, always thought she was overrated nonetheless this acting has made me a fan of her and I am looking forward to her next appearance in Wish I Was Here (2014).Coming to the child stars, Abigail Breslin as Sarah does the best among the others. It is good to see her getting transformed into a teen star from a child one. Hayden Panettiere as Audrey accomplished her task well in this movie but is not great and Spencer Breslin as Henry is a notch down from both of them as he couldn't get some expressions right in my point of view.Joan Cusack as Jenny the other sister does well as a supporting actor which is certainly expected from her. John Corbett as Pastor accomplishes at providing the humorous moments needed in the film and Helen Mirren has a minor role, however a good one.Largely the film felt a little rushed to me although it already stands at 119 minutes, I think other characters should have been developed more and added emotional touch could also be given to it. Nevertheless, it's a decent popcorn flick that can be viewed with your family on a weekend.Overall it's a 7/10 from my side.

Imdbidia The story of Helen, a young independent career woman who sees his life changed after becoming the guardian of the three children of her late sister.The story is explored in a superficial dull way, and the director seems not to have clear in his mind where to inject drama or humor. He's too ambitious as he wants it all - drama, romance and comedy. The result is disaster. On the other hand, the casting agency should be fired as most actors in this movie don't deliver or are miscast. The story needed of a little bit more of dramatic depth, which would have been there if the actors had done their job properly.Kate Hudson plays the same character once more, the same sort of chick, makes the same sort of faces, in this movie or in any other, that's why the viewer doesn't believe her in her role. The same happens to Jon Corbett (so hot on the other hand :D) who is unable to bring the seriousness and warmth of spirit that the role of Pastor Dan Parker requires. I was surprised at finding Helen Mirren in a movie like this, absolutely miscast. The only good acting in the movie is by the always believable Joan Cussak, playing Helen's oldest sister, and the talented child actor Abigail Breslin, playing the youngest of the siblings.The movie has some good elements and a good story line, but it is all wasted by a poor direction and some bad performances.

Boba_Fett1138 I think the movie makes the mistake that its more cheerful and happy, instead of being dramatic. The core of the movie is its drama but this just doesn't work out fully due to the fact that everything around it is too cheerful and made in a comedy kind of style. The movie even finds room to put in a love-story, which is just a bit too much I'm afraid. The movie should had focused some more on the mourning and real problems, if the movie wanted to make a real lasting and effective impression. Instead now the problems in the movie are too trivial and don't seem significant enough, when considering 3 young children lost their parents and they're being raised by her aunt who definitely is an inexperienced one, as a 'parent'. You can say that the movie is too 'Hollywood' and therefor also becomes formulaic, standard and rather predictable.The movie is definitely well made for a 'comedy' and it has some great characters in it, that help to make the movie. There is a good balance of characters that are funny (although perhaps a bit too over-the-top) and characters that are serious. It's the thing that keeps the movie going and make it a pleasant one to watch.It's not like the story is really heading anywhere in the movie. Especially the middle of the movie is a sort of a drag, after a good and quite promising first minutes. Seemed like the movie wasn't too sure what direction to head in after that. It falls back to a lot of clichés to eventually of course also end in a clichéd and predictable way. The movie is perhaps also a bit too long. At least more then it really needed to be. Perhaps some side-plots should had been dropped.Amazingly the movie really has a big and superb cast, with actors such as Kate Hudson, Joan Cusack, Helen Mirren, Hector Elizondo and Felicity Huffman in it. But all the more great is the children-cast. Spencer Breslin and Abigail Breslin are two of the great child-actors of our time and in this movie they once more show why. And then there is Hayden Panettiere, who is a strange case. For her age she's great but I have doubts if people in 10 years from now still know who she is. If she wants to continue being taking seriously and show that she's up for the task, she needs to start taking some more serious roles fast, or else she continues being typecast over and over again, until eventually she is considered to be too old by Hollywood. She needs to stop doing these cheerful movies and cheerful roles. Even when her character is supposed to be mad she has something cheerful in her. She has the potential to become a great actress, if she can make the step to more serious and demanding roles NOW.I consider this to be a watchable movie, as long as you can handle most of the Hollywood clichés.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/