A number of interesting people populate "Raising Helen," but this comedy-drama chooses to focus on the least interesting, most cliched character in the film.
That would be the title character, a self-absorbed career woman who experiences personal growth when a family is thrust upon her. You already see the problem there — this story has already been done to death.
And it doesn't help that the character in question is played by Kate Hudson, a once-promising actress who now seems content to play nothing other than flighty, ditsy party girls. Her mother, the considerably more endearing Goldie Hawn, did the same thing early in her career, and it wore thin with her, too.
Then there's the problem with the film's tone. "Raising Helen" doesn't feel nearly as light as it should in the breezier moments, while the dramatic moments lack punch. (Not that it's a surprise, coming from director Gary Marshall, who can stretch even the thinnest premise to two hours.)
Hudson stars as Helen Harris, a New York fashion executive whose nights of partying come to a sudden end when her older sister dies, leaving her in charge of three children (Hayden Panettiere, Spencer Breslin and Abigail Breslin).
She's neither prepared nor equipped, so becoming a sudden parent has dire consequences for both her personal and professional lives. (Helen's uncaring boss — played with maximum iciness by Helen Mirren — quickly fires her for putting family before business.)
However, Helen does have friends who are willing to help, including Pastor Dan (John Corbett), the principal of the kids' new school. And despite their differences, Helen's other sister (Joan Cusack), who has children of her own, does offer some valuable advice.
There are no real surprises here; the feeling is very much been-there, done-that. Marshall's soft direction is at least partly to blame (several supposedly comedic scenes drag on with little payoff).
Then there's Hudson's uninspired performance. She seems content to smile her way through most of the scenes. Cusack is the one real positive thing here; she's willing to be a little prickly and even unlikable at times but unfortunately is not in the film nearly enough.
"Raising Helen" is rated PG-13 for vulgarity (some gestures and use of crude slang terms), scattered use of profanity, some brief sexual contact and some brief violence (sports, as well as some threats of violence). Running time: 119 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com