"Raising Helen" is a moderately entertaining family film about a spoiled fashion model that unexpectedly has to adopt her late sister’s kids.

The film has a lively cast, some cute individual scenes, and an almost totally undistinguished script by Patrick Clifton and Bethany Rigazio.

Directed by Garry Marshall, a veteran of a million sitcoms, who cut his teeth writing some of the most popular TV shows of the ‘60s and ‘70s, some have become classics ("The Odd Couple" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" come to mind). Others are best forgotten (such as "Me and the Chimp," and "Love American Style").

Even some of the films he directed ("Pretty Woman," "Beaches," and "Young Doctors in Love") play like extended TV show episodes. The basic premise of "Raising Helen" could have very easily been adapted into a weekly sitcom.

But the film is elevated somewhat by the convincing lead female performances by Kate Hudson and Joan Cusack. They play polar opposites, and they play off each other very well in both the key comedic and dramatic scenes.

Kate Hudson gave a brilliant performance in "Almost Famous," which I thought was one of the best films of 2000; and she was also quite memorable in Robert Altman’s "Dr. T and His Women." Almost all of her later projects have been relative disappointments in comparison.

She seems to be suffering from what I call "Reese Witherspoon syndrome." As she becomes a bigger star, she is taking on less challenging roles in higher profile and less interesting films.

In every successive role, Hudson also looks and sounds more like a young version of her mom, the spunky comedienne Goldie Hawn. This could be either a good or bad thing depending on how big of a Hawn fan you are (I’ve liked about half of her works.)

In "Raising Helen" Hudson plays Helen Harris, a glamorous fashion model who spends much of her time clubbing and traveling to exotic locales for film shoots. She has a close bond with her zany, young married sister (played by Felicity Huffman). They bond while they sing a Devo song at a family party, and the square, older sister, Jenny (played by the perfectly cast, Joan Cusack) feels totally left out. None of them seems aware that the song is really about self pleasure—to put it delicately.

One day, tragedy strikes and Helen’s young sister and her brother-in- law are killed. The whole family is shocked when the will names the flighty, irresponsible Helen as the guardian of her kids. She struggles to switch gears from being a cool aunt to becoming a responsible parental figure. Of course the kids drive her nuts, and as a result of her adoption, she has to relocate to Queens and she loses her job.

Helen begins to spend more time with a local everyman, Pastor Dan, who is the opposite of what she is used to. He is helpful, unselfish and utterly committed to helping his community. He also has little fashion sense and is defiantly untrendy.

"Raising Helen" would have been more engaging if all the characters were a bit more exaggerated. Helen should have been a bit more shallow and narcissistic, Jenny should have been more severe, and Pastor Dan should have been more provincial. Then their "big life changes" would have carried more weight.

However, the film has some good payoff scenes in the last part, including a delightfully overwrought confrontation between Jenny and her Britney wanna-be niece. The budding romance between Helen and Dan also develops rather well, so the film receives a lukewarm recommendation. "Raising Helen" is nothing special but it should please its target audience. It’s recommended mostly for young mothers, couples and fans of sitcoms.