Heaven Help Us (1985)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Michael Dinner

Writer:

Charles Purpura (writer)

Release Date:

8 February 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

If God had wanted them to be angels, He would have given them wings!

Plot:

A new transfer student to St. Basil's Boys' Prep School tries to fit in while romantically pursuing a troubled young girl.

Plot Keywords:

Brooklyn | Catholic School | Pope Paul VI | Coney Island New York | Priesthood

Cast

Donald Sutherland	...	Brother Thadeus
John Heard	...	Brother Timothy
Andrew McCarthy	...	Michael Dunn
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Danni
Kevin Dillon	...	Rooney
Malcolm Danare	...	Caesar
Jennifer Dundas	...	Boo (as Jennie Dundas)
Kate Reid	...	Grandma
Wallace Shawn	...	Father Abruzzi
Jay Patterson	...	Brother Constance
George Anders	...	Brother Augustus
Dana Barron	...	Janine
John Bentley	...	First Man
Imogene Bliss	...	Cook
Philip Bosco	...	Brother Paul

Also Known As:

Catholic Boys

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:G (Quebec) | Australia:M | UK:PG | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Trivia:

When the studio decided to produce this film, it was tough to track down the writer. He was in Tibet and they had to wait for him to return before they started working on the film.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Though set in 1965, virtually every school bus in the film was manufactured in the late-1970s and early-1980s. Most of them were built on truck cowls that didn't exist at the time, and contained features such as amber flashing lights next to the red ones above the windshield, which didn't exist in New York State until 1973.

Quotes:

Rooney: Jesus, what'd they do to Elvis? Cut his balls off, or something?

Movie Connections:

References A Hard Day's Night (1964)

Soundtrack:

My Girl

Funny, touching, and underrated

While I can't comment on the accuracy in which the "Catholic School for Boys" is depicted in this movie, having once been a teenage boy, I can attest to having known (or been) a kid who is represented by nearly every character in the movie. I identified most with Andrew McCarthy's character, but saw a little of myself in many of the other kids.

The movie is at times funny, touching, and intense. I believe it has been largely forgotten and was ignored even in its initial run. It is vastly underrated, and if you happen across it in the TV Guide or in the older titles at the video store, it is worth two hours of your life. Recommended.