Raising Helen review

If the cutesy title wasn't enough of a clue, then the combination of Kate Hudson and director Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman/ The Princess Diaries) should be all the evidence required to know the kind of light and fluffy fare to be expected from Raising Helen. And those expectations won't be unfulfilled. In its desire to keep the tone upbeat this romantic comedy, about a young career girl who is forced to grow up when she becomes the guardian to her dead sister's three kids, never ventures much beneath the surface. But it does the superficial thing well enough, providing sufficient sweet and funny moments to keep your eyes mostly on the screen rather than your watch.

Kate Hudson has the ability to be annoying (Le Divorce) and endearing (Almost Famous). At times she conveys the smug air of someone for who life is too effortless and privileged. At others she can capture an engaging charm. Fortunately it's the latter that invests her portrayal of Helen Harris. A fun loving, party girl, Helen has a firm foothold on a career at a prestigious New York modeling agency where she's assistant to the demanding boss Dominique (Helen Mirren). Her life is a world away from the domestic conservatism of her older sisters. But that life changes with the news of her sister's death. She suddenly finds herself entrusted with the three children, much to the indignant surprise of the elder sister Jenny (Joan Cusack), who considers herself supermom and the more obvious choice of guardian.

Helen had previously thought of herself more of a big sister to the children, 15-year-old Audrey (Hayden Panettiere), 10 year-old Henry (Spencer Breslin) and 5 year-old Sarah (Abigail Breslin) and tries her best to keep things fun, but soon realizes that being a parent and being popular don't always mix. Neither do her career and parenthood. So she quits and they relocate to Queens where she becomes a receptionist for a used car dealer and the kids enroll in a Lutheran school run by the handsome Pastor Dan (John Corbett).

Along with the everyday dramas involved in parenting, like a dead pet and tying shoelaces, Helen has to contend with the sexual awakening of the pretty Audrey who defiantly challenges her authority. Overwhelmed and mourning her once carefree existence, Helen finds support and romance in the unlikely guise of Pastor Dan.

Raising Helen is inhabited by implausibly nice people with ready smiles and helping hands, infusing the world with a surreal bonhomie. It's a world that enjoys only a passing similarity to the real one, but one that isn't unpleasant to visit, though at two hours, the stay was a little long.