Raising Helen is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall and written by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler. It stars Kate Hudson, John Corbett, Joan Cusack, Hayden Panettiere, siblings Spencer and Abigail Breslin, and Helen Mirren. The film follows Helen Harris (Hudson), who finds herself as the legal guardian of her sister's children after her sister and brother-in-law are killed in a car accident. Raising Helen was released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution on May 28, 2004. It received negative reviews from critics and grossed $49.7 million worldwide against a $50 million budget, making it a box office bomb.
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Plot
Helen, Jenny, and Lindsay Harris are close sisters living in New York; the eldest Jenny raised the other two after their mother died when they were young. Jenny and Lindsay are responsible stay-at-home mothers while Helen, an executive assistant to the CEO of one of Manhattan's most prestigious modeling agencies, enjoys a lavish, carefree lifestyle.
One morning, Helen receives a call from Jenny who tells her Lindsay and her husband Paul have died in a car accident, leaving behind their three children, 15-year-old Audrey, 10-year-old Henry, and 5-year-old Sarah. At an appointment with Lindsay's attorney, Helen and Jenny are shocked to discover Lindsay has appointed Helen the guardian of the children. Both sisters are given a letter that Lindsay had left for them.
