Order this DVD from Amazon.com

Here's what I don't get about Raising Helen. Everybody tells me it's a romantic comedy. Is it? The romance part really takes a back seat to the rest of the story. And the comedy? It's a story about these kids whose parents die. There's not a lot of comedy to be had there. Actually, that's probably anybody's worst nightmare. And you're trying to mine comedy material out of this?

Raising Helen is basically the story of three sisters. One is your average everyday parent. One is an uptight parent. And the other isn't a parent at all. Instead, she's a bit of a wild child, living the life any young woman would dream about in New York City. But when her sister (the average everyday parent) and her husband die tragically, they leave three kids behind. And instead of leaving the kids to the uptight sister, she leaves them to the wild one - hoping the kids will teach her a lesson or two about life. So she moves the kids to New Jersey, puts them in a school, ends up forming a relationship with the school's principal (that's the romance part) and misadventures ensue (that's the comedy part). And, of course, she ends up learning a lesson or two about life and about herself which is what her sister wanted in the first place.

I have no problem with anybody here. I enjoy Kate Hudson. John Corbett. Joan Cusack. Director Garry Marshall. Hell, I even like Spencer Breslin. But what were they all thinking? How can anybody make a movie out of this and think people will find it entertaining? And to feature Hudson and Corbett on the cover and try to pass it off as a romantic comedy? That's cheap.

For those interested in special features, you'll get your standard fare. First, an audio commentary from director Garry Marshall and writers Beth Rigazio, Jack Amiel and Michael Begler. I'm a Garry Marshall fan, so this one was okay, although I find he works better alone. This is a case where perhaps the writers should have been afforded a commentary of their own. Instead, they really only interfered with who I was really interested in. For those who want more Marshall, check out the disc's deleted scenes where he provides opening and parting shots on a number of clips that didn't make the film's final cut. Finally, the we get just under five minutes of bloopers from the set and a music video for Liz Phair's "Extraordinary".

As I said, I didn't really have a problem with the film's talent. They did what they could with the material available. It was the story. What a horrible story. How could anybody read this screenplay and think this might be funny? A drama? Probably. A romantic comedy? Please.