Raising Helen (DVD)

When Raising Helen was heading into theaters it was being looked at to see whether or not Kate Hudson could carry off the lead role in her very own film. Yeah, there was How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, but Matthew McConaughey had just as much to do with that film's success as Kate did, but this is Kate's film and while it didn't fare too well at the box office, and isn't exactly a great movie this will not be the last time Hudson gets a movie of her own.

Following the life of Helen (Hudson), an assistant at a high-profile modeling agency, who doesn't have a care in the world. Work all day and party all night is her motto, but things soon change as her older sister and brother-in-law are suddenly killed in a car accident.

In a strange twist of fate, her sister leaves her three kids in Helen's care rather than her other sister (Cusak), who is the self-proclaimed super mom.

Sort of a cliché storyline, with its obvious twists and turns you can see where this movie is going to go from the start, unfortunately where this movie falters is that it overstays its welcome and with a two hour running time it is far too long for a movie of this sort, which you can usually count on being only about a half-hour long.

Instead of going through the normal motions of a romantic comedy/family drama Raising Helen bounces around looking to get on track, and by the time it does you are not at all concerned with the outcome.

As for the DVD this is a Garry Marshall lover's dream as he dominates every single feature besides the Liz Phair music video, which I don't mean to insinuate is a good thing.

The audio commentary is one of the most boisterous commentaries I have ever heard as Marshall and the Raising Helen writers yuck it up over the entire film not allowing for a single breather. It doesn't stop there as he introduces the deleted scenes in an animated menu and then he introduces and offers closing thoughts on each scene.

There is also a run-of-the-mill blooper reel and the Liz Phair music video I mentioned earlier.

Overall, this movie falls short, and never really figures out whether it is a family drama or a romantic comedy. If you must I would recommend renting this one before buying it, and if you can, avoid it altogether.