Raising HelenMovie Reviews

Gifts + Promos

The Vow Free Gift

Buy tickets & receive a FREE 3-Month Love Forecast from Astrology.com!

Fandango Bucks

Send your sweetheart the gift of movies this Valentine’s Day!

Journey Sweeps

Enter for a chance to win a trip for 2 to Nicaragua!

Interactive Oscar Ballot

Who's taking home the Oscar? Cast your vote & challenge your friends on Facebook!

Need Help?
No
Avg. Critic Score: 38 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 OK for kids 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Sheri Linden

    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 full review

  • 60
    Variety | Joe Leydon

    An undemanding dramedy. Read full review

  • 58
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    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 full review

  • 50
    Los Angeles Times |

    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 full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

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

  • 50
    USA Today | Mike Clark

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

  • 50
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

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

  • 50
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    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 full review

  • 30
    Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan

    It's a question of tone, which jumps back and forth between airy-fairy romantic comedy and leaden family drama with the alacrity of a manic-depressive. Read full review

  • 25
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Despite Joan Cusack, whose comic spark earns the film its only star, Raising Helen is like tumbling into chick-flick hell. Read full review

View more reviews for Raising Helen on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ Light drama with some appealing moments.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie has some strong language. Characters drink and smoke. Helen's smoking, imitated by one of the children, is evidence of her carefree lifestyle; we see her wearing a nicotine patch after she has to begin to be more responsible. Similarly, as the fun aunt she approves of a fake ID for an underage girl; as the parent, she does not. And before she has the children, she has casual sex, but afterward she is ready for a more complete relationship. An underage couple plan to have sex but are stopped in time. Some members of the audience will find the movie's portrayal of public school to be unfair. A strength of the movie is friendship between diverse characters.
  • Families can talk about how they think about plans to care for children in case of tragedy. Why did the children's parents choose Helen instead of Jenny?
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Tense and sad moments.
  • sex false3 Sex: Sexual references and non-explicit sexual situations.
  • language false3 Language: Brief strong language.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters smoke and drink.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Raising Helen Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 650 fan reviews

Critics say

No See all critic reviews

Facebook Movie Fans

Fan Fandango on Facebook