Heaven Help Us Reviews

Maybe it was the title or the misleading advertising campaign, but this wonderfully touching and funny reminiscence of life in a Catholic boys high school in Brooklyn circa 1965 went mostly unnoticed by critics and moviegoers alike. HEAVEN HELP US is a refreshingly honest portrayal of teenagers. No character is stereotyped, and events turn out differently than expected. The film follows new-kid-in-town McCarthy, who has just moved in with his grandparents after the death of his parents. At St. Basil's, McCarthy's new school, he strikes up a friendship with Danare, a fat, nerdy, but extremely intelligent kid who has endured much abuse at the hands of Dillon, the class bully and troublemaker. Dillon forces McCarthy to be his friend after McCarthy covers for him during a prank. This causes Patterson, a sadistic Jesuit instructor who has a vendetta against Dillon, to set his brutal sights on McCarthy as well. McCarthy strikes up a bittersweet romance with non-Catholic girl Masterson, who works in her father's malt shop. He learns that Masterson has dropped out of school to run the family business because her father is suffering from a mental disorder that has rendered him nearly catatonic. This film is brimming with poignant, funny, wholly realistic scenes with insight and attention to character. The performances are uniformly excellent. The film is marred at times by some unnecessary concessions to tired teen film cliches such as borrowing and then accidentally destroying Dad's new car, but overall the film is a blast of fresh air and deserves attention.