Raising Helen

Helen Harris (Kate Hudson) and Lindsay (Felicity Huffman) were raised by their eldest sister, Jenny (Joan Cusack), after their mother died when Helen was seven. Now Helen is the executive assistant to the CEO of one of Manhattan's most prestigious modeling agencies, and has a nice Manhattan lifestyle which keeps her extremely occupied and content. But her world suddenly changes when Lindsay and brother-in-law Paul (Sean O'Bryan) die in a car accident, leaving her their three children.

Helen and Jenny are in shock when they discover Lindsay and Paul left Helen guardian to their three kids: Audrey, 15 (Hayden Panettiere), Henry, 10 (Spencer Breslin), and Sarah, 5 (Abigail Breslin). They are surprised as Jenny was already a great mother with two children and a third on the way. But a letter left to Helen by Lindsay convinces her to take care of the children. She tries to do it on her own terms, which means raising them while maintaining her already fast-paced schedule. But as work and children begin to interfere, Helen quickly finds herself burnt out and disheartened by her responsibilities and Jenny's lack of faith.

Despite her already hectic schedule, Helen finds the time to develop a genuine affection for her new dependents, as well as an equally genuine attraction to Dan Parker (John Corbett), the kids' school principal and local Lutheran pastor. Busy trying to appease the children and adjust to suddenly being a mom, Helen's concentration on her job begins to slip and she is fired by Dominique (Helen Mirren).

Helen becomes a receptionist at a car dealership. Things begin to improve as she bonds with the children and Dan, and finally begins to get the hang of being a mom. But Audrey falls in with the wrong crowd and dates the wrong kind of guy. When she disappears from the school prom with her new boyfriend BZ to a motel, Helen is forced to call in Jenny as back-up to search all over New York to find Audrey. Unable to confront her and risk her hatred, once they track her down, Helen turns the children over into Jenny's custody.

Helen returns to her wild lifestyle, yet feels much less fulfilled than she had been before she had the children. Feeling dissatisfied and depressed, she returns to Jenny's house to take the children back. She convinces Jenny that she's finally ready to be a parent when she puts her foot down and shows Audrey who's boss. Jenny, listening to Helen talking to the children, still refuses to give the kids back. Helen leaves and is sitting alone in a park. There, Jenny appears and gives her the letter that Lindsay had written to Jenny. Helen reads it, which explains why Lindsay chose Helen, someone more like herself, someone who can give the children the mother they really want. While watching out her window, Helen turns around with joy when the kids arrive, now hers.

The featured song Whip It by Devo was used in the movie. The song was used in its original meaning of solving problems after single Helen becomes the guardian for three of her late sister's children.

The film was shown at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. It was theatrically released on May 28, 2004. Before the film started, there was an animated short from Walt Disney Feature Animation titled Lorenzo, about a cat who gets his tail jinxed and comes to life. The film left theaters on September 9, 2004.

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Raising Helen

• Raising Helen at IMDb
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• Raising Helen at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Top Movies, Weekend of May 28, 2004 at The Numbers.