Helen (Ashley Judd) has the perfect life. She’s part of a loving family, has an amazing home and her career couldn’t be going any better than it is right now. But she is also the victim of extreme mental illness, depression sending her on a downward spiral which could quickly turn all that perfection into nothing less than a living hell.

CRITIQUE

Whatever happened to Ashley Judd? I was sure at this point in her career (she’s 42) she’d have a couple of Academy Award nominations, maybe even a win, under her belt. At the very least I expected her to be right there with Sandra Bullock and Julia Roberts fighting for the title of America’s Sweetheart, her work in box office hits like Double Jeopardy, Someone Like You and High Crimes proving audiences loved her lots even if critics came away from all three decidedly unimpressed.

I say this because the actress is definitely talented. She’s got an impressive range (see Bug for definitive proof of that) and she knows how to engage an audience (those three aforementioned titles just the tip of the iceberg as far as that skill is concerned), so the fact she’s become nothing more than a Hollywood afterthought is actually kind of perplexing.

Not that any of this has a heck of a lot to do with Helen, a mediocre Lifetime Television-like effort that had me sitting on my couch longing for the darn thing to come to an end. But why it all matters is that the picture one again shows just how darn talented Judd is as well as just how far she’s fallen on the Hollywood radar. She’s two steps away from starring in a “Law & Order” or “C.S.I.” spin-off, and as much as I am struck by the actress’ talent I am equally baffled by the string of poor choices she’s made (she was just in Tooth Fairy which I think speaks for itself) throughout this past decade.

As for this particular movie, writer and director Sandra Nettelbeck’s script is maudlin and superficial in the extreme, so much so I almost felt like slitting my own wrists so I could end the agony of watching it. I didn’t believe Helen’s journey for one single second, and even though her eventual friendship with bipolar sufferer Mathilda (nicely underplayed by Lauren Lee Smith) has moments of tenderness and warmth the majority of the film sadly lacks in anything close to similar.

Judd tries, as does costar Goran Visnjic playing her loving husband David, but neither of them can pull off what’s required of them here. The movie drowns in treacle, every plot point telegraphed so blatantly the only surprise is just how devoid of surprises the finished product actually is. For a film that looked potentially intriguing on the surface (I once worked for a time in the mental health industry and was looking forward to seeing something honest and emotionally moving) nothing here connects in a way that is even close to satisfying. In short, Helen is a colossal waste of time, and just another sad link in the chain in the continued downfall of a supremely talented actress I once expected great things from.

THE VIDEO

Helen is presented on 25GB disc with a 2.35:1 transfer. Perfectly acceptable transfer and one I doubt few people will have any sort of issues with.  

THE AUDIO

The film is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with English SDH subtitles. Fine, no issues, but nothing to write home to mom about, either.

THE EXTRAS

The Blu-ray’s extras include:

·    Interviews with Ashely Judd, Goran Visnjic, Alexia Fast and Lauren Lee Smith

And that’s it! Yes, there are some trailers for some other films, but as far as extras specific to this film are concerned there’s not much to talk about.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Ashley Judd, who definitely deserves better, tries her best but ultimately Helen is a sad, melodramatic waste of time I desperately wanted to end long before it actually did.