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. It grossed $37,486,138 at the U.S. box office. Plot Helen Harris and Lindsay were raised by their eldest sister, Jenny, after their mother died when Helen was seven. Now Helen is the executive assistant to the CEO of one of Manhattan's most prestigious modeling agencies, and has a nice Manhattan lifestyle which keeps her extremely occupied and content. But her world suddenly changes when Lindsay and brother-in-law Paul die in a car accident, leaving her their three children. Helen and Jenny are in shock when they discover Lindsay and Paul left Helen guardian to the three kids: Audrey, 15, Henry, 10, and Sarah, 5. They are surprised as Jenny was already a great mother with two children and a third on the way. But a letter left to Helen by Lindsay convinces her to take care of them. She tries to do it on her own terms: raising them while maintaining her already fast-paced schedule. But as work and children begin to interfere, Helen quickly finds herself burnt out and disheartened by her responsibilities and Jenny's lack of faith. Despite her already hectic schedule, Helen finds the time to develop a genuine affection for her new dependents, as well as an equally genuine attraction to Dan Parker, the kids' school principal and local Lutheran pastor. Busy trying to appease the children and adjust to suddenly being a mom, Helen's concentration on her job begins to slip and she is fired by Dominique. Helen becomes a receptionist at a car dealership. Things begin to improve as she bonds with the children and Dan, and finally begins to get the hang of being a mom. But Audrey falls in with the wrong crowd and dates the wrong kind of guy. When she disappears from the prom with her new boyfriend BZ to a motel, Helen is forced to call in Jenny as back-up to search all over New York to find Audrey. Unable to confront her and risk her hatred, once they track her down, Helen turns the children over into Jenny's custody. Helen returns to her wild lifestyle, yet feels much less fulfilled than she had been before she had the children. Feeling