Heaven Help Us

R

Released Feb 8, 1985

1 hr. 44 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

29%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Students (Andrew McCarthy, Kevin Dillon) reject authority in 1965 Brooklyn at St. Basil's Catholic School for Boys.

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popandroid

one of the best over-looked/forgotten 80's movies. and it's not even a NO-NAME cast, they have some big names in this thing. puzzling that's it's been forgotten so quickly. I can only imagine that's because it was never properly hyped when it came out so even by 1990 is pretty quickly forgotten by most of the planet. but to me this movie belongs right next to Fast Times and all the other great high school movies, and they did a great job making it seem like it was really 1965.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/14/24

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emily m

I like older movies and I like the delinquent coming-of-age theme. I however, even with me trying to think that it's because of what it's about and when it was made, still cannot stomach the just awful to watch violence coming from teacher to student. It would feel a lot funnier if I didn't have to spend ten minutes mentally coming back each time after watching a kid get rocked by a balding man dressed as a religious jedi.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/11/23

Full Review

donnie m

i was trying to find a movie tonight i hadn't seen-came across this but the acting is beyond horrible-ONE star for 'cool' songs

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/25/23

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Mark K

I consider this my favorite movie of all time. Very funny, but also captures teen angst and spirit of rebellion. Cast is about perfect, with many actors whom became well-known later. Interesting to see them at this point in their careers.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/10/23

Full Review

Jason K

This movie was a pretty good interpretation of my childhood education at catholic school in the 80's. Although the violence in the movie was a bit excessive, I remember the time a friend of mine had his head beat against a cabinet by a nun. The principal would use a large paddle to spank disruptive students in front of the class. After witnessing these instances of violence, we would go out to the playground and play tag or touch football. We often listened to Motown songs, danced with the girls, and attended skating parties. I thought the young actors in the movie were great. Kevin Dillan played the school jerk to a tee. Andrew McCarthy was great as the shy new guy and Mary Stuart Masterson portrayed the town's outcast perfectly. The late-great Roger Ebert wrote that this movie was too up and down. It failed because it didn't choose one path (the violence or the comedy) or the other. But that is the way I remember catholic school, one minute we were watching one of our classmates getting paddled by the nuns and the next minute we were holding our laughter because the class clown was making funny faces during class. This movie hit home, and it made me laugh. The locations were well thought out and the soundtrack was great. If you attended catholic school, this movie is a must see. If you did not attend catholic school, the story might not be as meaningful to you and you might not enjoy the movie as much as I did. I am pretty sure that this type of behavior does not exist anymore, and if it did there would be court battles. I still remember to bend down to pick up the kneeler at church because one of the nuns corrected me when I kicked it up with my foot.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/11/23

Full Review

Dr Mike E

As an ex-New Yorker, I always felt that "Heaven Help Us" portrayed honestly and emotionally the turmoil of adolescents growing up in Brooklyn, NY. Although I am not a Catholic, the movie captures the angst - and the antics - of teens constrained not just for the usual reasons, but also by parochial school. The teachers and administrators have their own issues, too, not least of which is how to discipline the young bunch. Although I totally deplore the kind of "mind control" attempted by the priests (who fruitlessly try to trample down the sexual thoughts of their charges), the depiction feels spot on. More important, though, is the film is just plain entertaining. (Dr. Michael W. Ecker is a Ph.D. mathematician and retired PSU math professor, a computerist/ computer collector, and author/ reviewer.)

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/09/22

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Michael Dinner

Director

Andrew McCarthy

Michael Dunn

Kevin Dillon

Rooney

Donald Sutherland

Brother Thadeus

John Heard

Brother Timothy

Mary Stuart Masterson

Danni

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

The picture is timid, and all but worthless, but moviegoers who have always longed to see Donald Sutherland as a monk -- and I know that you guys are out there -- will be in ecstasy.

Dec 31, 2019

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The strange thing about the movie is the way the moments of inspiration raise our hopes, and then disappoint them.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 23, 2004

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Michael Bronski

Gay Community News (Boston)

Its view of both the teenagers and the adults gets so mired in the most juvenile cartoon stereotypes that it totally fails in presenting a full picture of human beings.

Aug 30, 2022

Full Review

Chuck O'Leary

Fantastica Daily

Rated: 4/5

Oct 8, 2005

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Aug 11, 2005

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Scott Weinberg

eFilmCritic.com

Fitfully amusing, mostly juvenile.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 17, 2005

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Synopsis

Students (Andrew McCarthy, Kevin Dillon) reject authority in 1965 Brooklyn at St. Basil's Catholic School for Boys.

Director: Michael Dinner
Production Co: Home Box Office (HBO)
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 8, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016