Raising Helen

There has to be an easier way to plug Hudson into what essentially amounts to a remake of (or riff on) UNCLE BUCK; the biggest problem is that the central conceit is a bit unsavoury: “it took my sister to die and wager her kids' happiness and future for me to really find myself”. It sets an ugly pall over the film, and Marshall’s uncertainty and inconsistency as a director is highlighted, when jolly music and food fights follow scenes of comparatively bracing emotional intensity. As always, Marshall is a likable director, and seems happiest when sticking to sitcom, but trips over himself during the darker elements. It’s not all bad – I’ve always had a soft spot for baby Breslin, and though it belongs in a different, more grounded film, unusual casting of Cusack as the rigid “voice of reason” is an interesting, if not always convincing touch.