Heaven Help Us

Director: Michael Dinner Michael Dinner

Overview

Charles Purpura scribed this semi-autobiographical tale about his experiences in a Brooklyn Catholic school of 1965. The film focuses on several Catholic school boys who get into ever increasing amounts of trouble with the presiding priests of the Catholic school, St. Basil's. Andrew McCarthy plays Michael Dunn, a newly arrived student who latches onto the class egghead Caesar (Malcolm Danare), who is constantly picked on by the class bully Rooney (Kevin Dillon). Rooney intimidates Michael and Caesar to become his erstwhile chums and, along with a few other quiet students, they receive corporal punishment for minor infractions, disrupting communion and confession and, ultimately, their antics inspire changes in the strict school hierarchy.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/21/2013
UPC:	0883316778531
Original Release:	1985
Rating:	R
Source:	Hbo Archives
Language:	English
Time:	1:45:00
Sales rank:	19,850

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Andrew McCarthy	Michael Dunn
Donald Sutherland	Brother Thadeus
John Heard	Brother Timothy
Mary Stuart Masterson	Danni
Kevin Dillon	Rooney
Malcolm Danare	Caesar
Jennifer Dundas	Boo
Kate Reid	Grandma
Wallace Shawn	Father Abruzzi
Jay Patterson	Brother Constance
George Anders	Brother Augustus
Dana Barron	Janine
John Bentley	1st Man
Imogene Bliss	Cook
Philip Bosco	Brother Paul
Donald Breitman	Brother Gregory
Nolan Carley	Bartender
Al Cerullo	Pilot
Calvert DeForest	Bridge Operator
Patrick Dempsey	Corbet
Christopher Durang	Priest
William Eustace	Brother William
Henry Fehren	Priest Celebrant
Janice Fuller	Passenger
Pamela Galvin	Sister Thomasina
Stephen Geoffreys	Williams
Richard Hamilton	Grandpa
Jody Jensen	Girl
Kachina Myers	Girl
Mary Koch	Cafeteria Lady
Paul Marchand	Perrin
Vic Polizos	Police Officer
Douglas Seale	Brother Dominic
Yeardley Smith	Cathleen
Sherry Steiner	Social Worker
Jimmy Ray Weeks	Danni's Father
Mel Winkler	Willie
Ed Zang	Confessor

Technical Credits

Charles Purpura

Michael Dinner	Director
Charles Purpura	Screenwriter
Mark Carliner	Producer
Dan Wigutow	Producer
Jeremy Ritzer	Casting

Editorial Reviews

Michael Dinner's Heaven Help Us looks like just another '80s high-school romp, but it actually has some deeper thoughts and feelings running through it. While the teenagers and clergy members are, for the most part, written as stereotypes, the talented cast helps smooth over the more obvious moments and hit home runs with the smartest sections of the script. Andrew McCarthy is appealing as the newcomer learning to negotiate his way through the school; John Heard embodies the teacher/guidance counselor/father figure anybody would want; and Malcom Danare and Yeardley Smith share a very funny moment of attraction as two nerdy high-school kids who discuss Freud's explanation of phallic symbols. These people balance out the more obvious characters -- the physically abusive Catholic school teacher (Jay Patterson in a menacing, but one-note performance), Kevin Dillon's wiseass student, the devout mother -- making for a pleasant viewing experience with more charm and warmth than one might expect.