Directed by Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman, Princess Diaries)
Starring Kate Hudson, John Corbett and John Cusack
Helen is a young professional who loves her glamorous job and her life as successful single woman. But her life is turned upside-down when her sister and brother in law die in a car accident, leaving Helen as the guardian of their three kids, Audrey, Henry and Sarah.
It sounds like a tear jerker, huh? No worries. Put your Kleenex box away, because even though “Raising Helen” touches your heart, it is a fun film that keeps you laughing throughout.
“Raising Helen” shows how everything can change in a split second. The same Aunt Helen who was just congratulating her teenaged niece about her first fake I.D., is suddenly thrust into the role of care-taker and disciplinarian. What once was all fun and games turns into “Do your homework,” “Stop fighting,” and “No, you can’t go to the dance with him!” Helen used to be able to fly out of town for work on a whim. But now, “who would watch the kids?” Helen struggles to find a mom-friendly career, and struggles to find the balance between the love and discipline.
But “Raising Helen” does something else. The film takes a road rarely traveled in Hollywood today, introducing the most unlikely of helpers to aide Helen (unlikely to this generation anyway), a pastor. Released on the same day as “Saved,” a movie portraying Christians as anything but caring, “Raising Helen” actually shows the church to be a safe and caring place.
John Corbett plays Pastor Dan, the pastor/principal of the elementary school where Helen brings the kids. Pastor Dan takes a liking to Helen and the kids. A romance springs up, one that doesn’t spring them into bed, a rare omission in today’s films. And Pastor Dan isn’t rigid, snobby or condescending, he’s likable and down to earth.
I’m always a little scared to see how the big screen will represent a pastor or the church. You usually find one of two extremes. The first is the typical hypocritical, judging role often represented in films such as “Saved.” The second extreme is the role of the pastor who would be cool in the world’s eyes, but lacks Biblical character. Such was the example of Matthew McConaughey’s role of the “man of the cloth without the cloth” in “Contact,” where he hopped in bed with Jodie Foster faster than he could have prayed the Rosary.
But Pastor Dan is a character that secular audiences will like. When the kids first arrive, Henry asks Pastor Dan, “So what’s the Lutheran take on the afterlife? Heaven? Hell?” Pastor Dan warmly responds, “Yeah, we’re pretty old-school around here.” And “old-school” isn’t a negative term to today’s generation; it’s a word that means “classic,” “old, but good.” This Lutheran school/church is one that you would actually feel comfortable attending.
Most Christians will like him too (aside from one joke he makes about dirty movies). He was real, the kind of pastor you’d want in your kid’s school. And let’s face it, it’s not often we see a Christian portrayed in a good light in Hollywood.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
As always, I recommend you check out www.Screenit.com to review the content so you can make your own decision. Although the film is very clean by today’s standards, it has a few things you should be aware of. Before the catastrophe happens, we see Helen bring her date home, make a comment about getting his clothes off, and they disappear into her apartment. And a few cuss words are littered throughout the film, the worst being the boy loudly declaring that they are in “deep sh**.” But if you let your kids see “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” you’d probably let them see this.
The film has a good message and I recommend that parents see it. It will stir up good discussion about the balance between being a “friend” and a “disciplinarian” with your children.
The movie will be in theatres on Friday, May 28th. Get tickets now at www.Fandango.com
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
