Raising Helen_ Kate Hudson

Director Garry Marshall, the man behind "Pretty Woman," "The Princess Diaries" (and its forthcoming sequel), continues to turn formulaic plotlines into watchable family films with the help of some extremely inspired casting. Story of a city girl turned responsible mom may look like last year's "Uptown Girls" on paper, but Marshall is smart enough to inject this film with funny cameos as well as a strong soundtrack featuring songs by John Hiatt, Simon & Garfunkel, and DEVO (don't ask, it works).

As 'Helen', Kate Hudson ("Alex & Emma") does merit her top billing with a warm, knowing performance that belies her young career, especially since she's onscreen for 90% of the movie. But she's strongly supported by a veteran group of comic actors (including legendary Helen Mirren in a minor role) who give her plenty to play off of. Not to mention the usual crop of fresh-faced youngsters (including a real life brother & sister) who manage to steal every scene they're in.

Kudos especially for comedy veteran Joan Cusack ("School of Rock") as the anal retentive, suburban 'Super-Mom', older sibling who can barely contain her contempt for younger sister Helen's 'wild' Manhattan ways. Cusack's performance alone is worth the price of admission even though she's only in four or five key scenes (she's that good!).

And when Cusack's out of the picture, there's always somebody else to add a little spice to the mix, from odd cameos like Hector Elizondo ("Pretty Woman"), as a used car lot owner trying to avoid making a bad commercial, along with sidekick Sakina Jaffrey ("The Matrix: Revolutions") as his friendly, Hindi sales assistant. Comic relief takes the strangest forms in this genre, so be prepared for a few extra giggles where you'd least expect them.

And for the ladies, following his successful romantic outing in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," heart-throb John Corbett gets a number of laughs as Lutheran 'Pastor Don' though you'll will have to wait till about the half-way point in the film for him to appear. He's worth the wait though, right 'Sex and the City' fans? - lol!

On the kid acting front, Spencer ("The Cat in the Hat") and Abigail Breslin ("Signs"), as 'Henry' & 'Sarah' respectively, continue to bring a solid range of emotions to the big screen for such young actors. Director Marshall smartly gives each child something physical they can use to show how to recover from the deep wound caused by their parents' deaths (early in the film). Henry's refusal to play basketball (linked to his deceased sports-crazy dad) scores some dramatic points while Sarah's use of her stuffed Hippo doll to make believe that mom & dad are merely off on a long trip proves both comic and poignant.

All in all, a decent family film that will offset all the violence of other major releases like "Troy" and "Riddick" for moviegoers looking for a much-needed summer break.