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A Little Help
A Little Help
A Little Help
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A Little Help
Directed byMichael J. Weithorn
Written byMichael J. Weithorn
Produced by
  • Dena Hysell
  • Joe Gressis
  • Michael J. Weithorn
Starring
CinematographyThomas M. Harting
Edited byJoe Gressis
Music byAustin Wintory
Production
company
Secret Handshake Entertainment
Distributed byFreestyle Releasing[1]
Release dates
  • May 21, 2010 (2010-05-21) (SIFF)
  • July 22, 2011 (2011-07-22) (United States)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$96,868

A Little Help is a 2010 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Michael J. Weithorn. It follows the experiences of a dental hygienist following her unfaithful husband's sudden death. It debuted on May 21, 2010, at the Seattle International Film Festival.[2] In the Fall of 2010, the film won the Best Narrative Feature film at the San Diego Film Festival.[3] This was Ron Leibman's final film role before his death on December 6, 2019.

Plot

[edit]

Laura Pehlke is married to Bob and together they raise their 12-year-old son, Dennis. Laura is a dental hygienist and Bob works in a real estate office and often comes home late. The family goes to a birthday barbecue for Laura's twin niece and nephew. Laura suspects Bob is cheating on her and they get into a fight. She runs away from the house and Bob runs after her and suddenly collapses on the road. After a brief examination, the doctor says Bob has had a panic attack. Later that night, Laura begins to perform fellatio on Bob during which he has another attack from which he dies, and his condition is later diagnosed as arrhythmia.

Laura's sister, Kathy, and mother Joan, are overbearing in their attempts to help Laura manage her life. Kathy insists Laura go to a lawyer to discuss her economic state. The lawyer claims the only way to get by with the money they have is to sue the doctor. Reluctantly, Laura cooperates. During the process, Bob's secretary admits to having an affair with him.

Laura's nephew, Kyle, is an enthusiastic guitarist, and his father, Paul, supports him but Kathy thinks it hinders his academic future. She dismisses the garage band Kyle formed with his friends. Paul, a radio station employee, takes Kyle with him to see Dion DiMucci, who is visiting the station. After the program Kyle and Dion meet and play together.

Dennis moves to a private school on the insistence of Joan. In order to gain popularity with the kids at the new school, he lies and says his father died in the September 11 attacks while saving lives as a fireman. Laura confronts her son and criticizes his lying but he persuades her to back up his story and she ends up repeating the story to his class.

Dennis goes to a friend's birthday party, where he gets a body painting of the burning World Trade Center on his back. A kid who knew Dennis from summer camp happens to be at the party and he tells the other kids Dennis has been lying. Meanwhile, Laura coincidentally meets the birthday kid's mom at a gas station, and learns of the camp friend attending the party. Realizing the truth about Dennis' father will come out, she rushes to the party, but arriving too late to prevent the damage, finds her son sitting alone and crying, ostracized by the group.

One night Paul and Laura happen to be in the yard together, where they smoke pot and talk. Paul confesses he has had a crush on Laura since school and he married Kathy just to get something similar to Laura, which turned out to be a mistake. Back in high school he tried to get her attention by throwing a tennis ball over the fence and asking her for "a little help" by returning the ball. Some days later, Laura calls Paul at work and invites him to meet her. She tells Paul she regrets not returning the balls back in high school, because now she feels about him like he felt about her. She moves away a little, he comes after her, tells her she is beautiful, and they kiss.

As events unfold, Laura eventually has a breakthrough moment and she begins to take control of her own life; the beginning of her healing and moving on.

Cast

[edit]

Reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 40% of 42 critics' reviews are positive.[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[5]

References

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A Little Help

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
A Little Help is a 2010 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Michael J. Weithorn, starring Jenna Fischer in the lead role as Laura Pehlke, a dental hygienist whose life unravels following the sudden death of her husband from a heart attack. Set in suburban Long Island during the summer of 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the story follows Laura as she grapples with grief, excessive drinking, and the challenges of single parenthood while supporting her 12-year-old son Dennis's exaggerated lie about his father's death to cope with the tragedy. The film explores themes of mourning, self-deception, family dynamics, and personal redemption through a mix of humorous and empathetic moments. The supporting cast includes Daniel Yelsky as Dennis Pehlke, as Bob (Laura's brother-in-law), as Mel Kaminsky, as Joan, and Brooke Smith as Kathy Helms, among others, portraying the web of relationships that complicate Laura's struggles. Weithorn, known for his work on television series like , drew from personal experiences in crafting the screenplay, which had its world premiere at the on May 21, 2010, before a in the United States on July 22, 2011, distributed by . With a runtime of 109 minutes, the production was handled by Entertainment and filmed on location in New York. Upon release, A Little Help received mixed reviews from critics, earning a 40% approval rating on based on 42 reviews, with praise for Fischer's sympathetic performance but criticism for its uneven tone and predictable narrative. Audience reception was similarly divided, with a 30% score on the site from over 2,500 ratings, and an average user rating of 5.6 out of 10 from more than 3,600 votes. The film grossed $96,868 at the domestic , reflecting its limited commercial success. Despite this, it has been noted for its honest depiction of post-9/11 suburban life and emotional vulnerability.

Story and characters

Plot

Set in suburban Long Island during the summer of 2002, shortly after the , A Little Help follows Laura Pehlke as she navigates profound personal upheaval following the sudden death of her husband, Bob, a who suffers a fatal heart attack during an intimate moment. Their marriage had been strained by Bob's and Laura's suspicions of it, leaving her to grapple with grief compounded by financial instability and the demands of raising their 12-year-old son, Dennis. Laura's struggles intensify as she turns to alcohol to cope, facing relentless pressure from her : her domineering mother, Joan, who insists on enrolling Dennis in a , and her controlling sister-in-law, Kathy, who urges a lawsuit against the room doctor who treated Bob. Meanwhile, Dennis fabricates a lie at school, claiming his father was a heroic who perished in the World Trade Center attacks to garner sympathy and popularity among his peers; Laura, overwhelmed and seeking to shield him from judgment, reluctantly perpetuates the deception, leading to an awkward school memorial service that elevates their status temporarily but sows seeds of further complications. Amid this turmoil, Laura begins an affair with her brother-in-law, Paul, Kathy's husband, who confesses his long-held romantic feelings for her, providing fleeting emotional support but adding layers of guilt and family tension. As the lies unravel—culminating in a school crisis where Dennis's fabrication is exposed—Laura confronts her family's dysfunction in heated arguments, rejects the lawsuit, and ends the affair with Paul. In the resolution, Laura achieves a measure of and , rebuilding her bond with Dennis through honest communication and prioritizing her independence from familial interference, marking her gradual path toward healing in of loss.

Cast

Jenna Fischer stars as Laura Pehlke, a and recent widow grappling with amid turbulent family relationships. In supporting roles, portrays Bob Pehlke, Laura's deceased husband seen in flashbacks. Daniel Yelsky plays their son, Dennis Pehlke. Brooke Smith appears as Kathy Helms, Laura's sister-in-law, and as Paul Helms, her brother-in-law and Kathy's husband. Additional family members include as Joan Dunning, Laura's mother, and as her father, Warren Dunning. Zach Page depicts Kyle Helms, the young son of Kathy and Paul. The ensemble cast underscores the film's exploration of familial tensions in a post-9/11 context.

Production

Development

, an Emmy-nominated television writer and creator known for sitcoms such as and , made his feature film debut as writer and director with A Little Help. After over two decades in television comedy, Weithorn sought to transition to film by crafting a more intimate, character-driven "melancomedy" inspired by directors like Mike Leigh, , and , drawing from films such as . Weithorn began developing the script around 2005, motivated by his observations of suburban life on in the aftermath of the , capturing a subtle undercurrent of emotional upheaval without centering on the event itself. The story incorporated semi-autobiographical elements, including the dynamics of dysfunctional families and the disorienting impact of sudden loss, reflecting an amalgam of people from Weithorn's upbringing in Port Washington, where he grew up after moving from at age nine. These personal experiences with family tensions and grief informed the narrative's focus on ordinary struggles, allowing Weithorn to explore themes of imperfection and resilience in a post-9/11 suburban context. Early production faced significant challenges as an independent project, with Weithorn initially pitching a larger-scale version budgeted at $10-15 million that required an star but collapsed due to mismatched creative visions and casting difficulties. Scaling back to a $2.5 million indie production enabled greater artistic control, though securing funding remained arduous amid economic uncertainties, marking a deliberate shift from Weithorn's commercial TV background to a more personal cinematic endeavor. became attached to the lead role early in development, aligning with Weithorn's vision for an authentic portrayal of everyday vulnerability.

Filming

Principal photography for A Little Help took place primarily in , New York, during 2009, capturing the film's authentic suburban milieu through various real-world sites including family homes, dental offices, bars, and the Long Island Expressway. Director , a native of the area, selected Port Washington—his high school hometown—for much of the shoot to authentically reflect the post-9/11 suburban rhythms central to the story's 2002 setting. The production operated as a low-budget with an approximate $2.5 million budget, completing over a tight 24-day schedule in 2009. This compressed timeline relied on natural lighting and efficient to underscore the narrative's realistic tone, though it presented logistical hurdles such as inclement weather, union disputes with crew members, scheduling conflicts among cast, and even police interventions due to neighbor complaints during residential shoots. Thomas M. Harting employed a straightforward approach to emphasize emotional intimacy in the close-knit family dynamics, using to enhance the film's grounded, observational style. A notable on-set challenge involved coordinating scenes with Daniel Yelsky, who portrayed the protagonist's son , requiring careful management of his hours and improvisational moments to maintain performance authenticity amid the indie production's demands. Weithorn's directorial vision, rooted in his television background, prioritized collaborative with the ensemble to blend comedic and dramatic elements seamlessly during these constrained shoots. In , editor Joe Gressis focused on refining the footage to balance the film's tonal shifts between humor and , ensuring the 109-minute runtime preserved the intimate pacing established on location. This process, completed by late , highlighted key emotional beats while trimming excess to suit the independent release strategy.

Release

Film festivals and premiere

A Little Help had its world premiere at the (SIFF) on May 21, 2010, marking the debut of writer-director Michael J. Weithorn's feature film. The screening featured a question-and-answer session with the cast and crew, including lead actress , who drew attention for her portrayal of a grieving navigating personal and familial turmoil in the post-9/11 era. Critics and audiences at SIFF highlighted the film's authentic character-driven narrative and its blend of comedy and drama, positioning it as a strong entry in the festival's lineup of independent features seeking distribution. The film continued its festival run with subsequent screenings at several independent events. At the Film Festival in October 2010, A Little Help won the Best Feature award, with Weithorn accepting the honor on stage amid growing interest in its intimate exploration of loss and recovery. It was also shown at the Montréal World Film Festival from August 26 to September 6, 2010, where it competed in the World Competition section and earned praise for its poignant depiction of a single mother's struggles. Additional appearances included the Cinequest Film Festival in March 2011, further building its profile on the indie circuit. Festival audiences generated early buzz around the film's sensitive handling of themes like , family dysfunction, and resilience, often commending nuanced performance and Weithorn's shift from to cinema. Attendees at key events, such as SIFF and the , noted the emotional resonance of the story's focus on everyday hardships, contributing to positive word-of-mouth that helped secure its path to wider release. Following its festival circuit, A Little Help received a limited theatrical premiere in the United States on July 22, 2011, opening in select theaters in New York and to capitalize on the momentum from indie screenings.

Distribution and box office

Following its festival premieres, A Little Help secured a U.S. distribution deal with for a starting on July 22, 2011. The film expanded to a peak of 24 theaters during its run, aligning with its independent production scale and target audience of drama enthusiasts. The movie's domestic box office performance totaled $96,868, with an opening weekend gross of $44,870, underscoring the challenges faced by low-budget indies in achieving wide commercial reach despite positive festival buzz. This modest earnings figure highlighted the film's niche appeal, primarily to viewers drawn to character-driven dramedies rather than mainstream blockbusters. Home media distribution began with a DVD release on October 25, 2011, through Image Entertainment, followed by availability on digital platforms in early 2012. By the mid-2010s, it became accessible for streaming on services such as , expanding its reach to home audiences beyond initial theatrical limitations. Marketing efforts centered on leveraging Jenna Fischer's rising popularity from her role in , positioning the film as a poignant post-network showcase for her dramatic talents, though constrained by the production's limited budget which restricted broader promotional campaigns.

Reception and legacy

Critical response

A Little Help received mixed reviews from critics, holding a 40% approval rating on based on 42 reviews, with an average score of 5.4/10. The film's critical reception highlighted its blend of comedy and drama, often praised for emotional authenticity but critiqued for tonal inconsistencies. Positive responses frequently commended Jenna Fischer's vulnerable performance as Laura Pehlke, portraying a flawed woman navigating personal crises with relatable depth. Roger Ebert awarded the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, lauding its "honest portrayal of imperfection" and depiction of post-9/11 suburban malaise, where everyday struggles are amplified by lingering national trauma. Other reviewers echoed this, noting Fischer's ability to convey quiet resilience amid chaos. Critics, however, pointed to an uneven tone that struggled to balance comedic elements with dramatic weight, resulting in moments that felt forced or unresolved. The plot was often described as predictable, with familiar tropes of deception and redemption lacking fresh insight, while supporting characters remained underdeveloped, serving primarily as foils rather than fully realized figures. Reviewers commonly explored themes of , family dysfunction, and personal resilience, appreciating how the narrative captures the quiet unraveling of suburban life. The 9/11 subplot, involving a family's fabricated story tied to the tragedy, was handled with sensitivity, avoiding exploitation while underscoring in the aftermath. The film's underperformance at the contributed to its limited visibility among audiences.

Accolades

A Little Help garnered recognition at several film festivals and industry awards, particularly for its overall achievement and direction. The film won the Best Feature Film award at the 2010 Film Festival, highlighting director Michael J. Weithorn's dramedy as a standout entry. It received a nomination in the World Competition category at the 2010 Montréal World Film Festival, placing it among international contenders for competitive honors.

References

  1. https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/65056-a-little-help
  2. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a-little-help
  3. https://www.screendaily.com/a-little-help/5029569.article
  4. https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/65056-a-little-help/cast
  5. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1319722/
  6. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-little-help-2011
  7. https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/reviews/view/21373/a-little-help
  8. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-little-help/
  9. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1319722/fullcredits/
  10. https://www.iconvsicon.com/2011/07/27/director-michael-j-weithorn-discusses-his-new-film-a-little-help/
  11. https://patch.com/new-york/portwashington/filmmaker-gets-a-little-help-from-port-washington
  12. https://www.shockya.com/news/2011/07/25/director-michael-weithorn-talks-a-little-help/
  13. https://www.newcityfilm.com/2011/07/27/review-a-little-help/
  14. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1319722/locations/
  15. https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/A-Little-Help-review-Fine-star-but-forced-drama-2352875.php
  16. https://www.officetally.com/jenna-fischer-in-a-little-help/3
  17. https://threeimaginarygirls.com/deep-siff-little-help/
  18. https://www.thewrap.com/top-picks-san-diego-film-festival-21460/
  19. https://thephoenix.com/BLOGS/outsidetheframe/archive/2010/09/06/dispatches-from-the-34th-montreal-world-film-festival.aspx
  20. https://www.cinequest.org/films/157966/little-help
  21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVpD1jOgrOY
  22. https://www.movieinsider.com/m5289/a-little-help
  23. https://www.screendaily.com/distribution/freestyle-takes-us-rights-from-strategic-on-a-little-help/5023669.article
  24. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl960726529/
  25. https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Little-Help-A-%282011%29
  26. https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Little-Help-A-%282011%29#tab=video-sales
  27. https://www.amazon.com/Little-Help-Jenna-Fischer/dp/B07HGK9CZV
  28. https://www.aol.com/news/2011-07-20-jenna-fischer-a-little-help-the-office-work-life-success.html
  29. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/a-little-help-film-review-213523/
  30. https://variety.com/2011/film/reviews/a-little-help-1117944706/
  31. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/movies/a-little-help-with-jenna-fischer-review.html
  32. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1319722/awards/
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