Raising Helen Critic Reviews

Marshall's predilection for romantic fairy tales is much in evidence, though the comedy registers in a lower key than it did in such hits as "Pretty Woman" and "Runaway Bride." Read the full review

An undemanding dramedy.Read the full review

Hudson's sunny, ringlet-tossing appeal fits snugly into the film's happy-homemaker ideology: She makes caring for three kids she barely knows look downright glamorous.Read the full review

Almost nothing about Raising Helen rings very true, other than the camera's crush on Kate Hudson.Read the full review

The agreeable cast led by Hudson and Cusack manage to extract a handful of laughs from the forgettable dialogue, but at nearly two hours, the film goes on far too long. Read the full review

From beginning to end, we've been there, seen that.Read the full review

Far from the worst cookie-cutter film to come off the Hollywood assembly line, merely the latest.Read the full review

A soft-hearted, squishy-minded prototype for a network sitcom, is mildly ingratiating but never laugh-out-loud funny. Even Ms. Hudson's intrepid radiance can't camouflage the premise's leaky foundation.Read the full review

As unlikely as it may sound, 2004 is the year when directors Kevin Smith and Garry Marshall have made virtually the same movie...Nevertheless, it's impossible to deny that Raising Helen is a near clone of "Jersey Girl." Read the full review