A Little Help

Laura Pehlke is a Long Island dental hygienist whose tidy life unravels over a few intense months in the summer of 2002, with the aftershocks of 9/11 still shaping daily moods. When a personal crisis upends her routines, she scrambles to keep a sense of safety for her young son while juggling awkward friendships, family expectations, and the small-town gossip that seems to grow louder as her life grows harder. The film mixes quiet humor with earnest moments as Laura tries various practical and awkward solutions to steady herself and protect what matters, without revealing how everything turns out.

Released in 2010, A Little Help was written and directed by Michael J. Weithorn. Jenna Fischer leads the cast, with Chris O'Donnell, Kim Coates, Lesley Ann Warren, and Sara Kapner in supporting roles, giving the film a familiar ensemble feel anchored by Fischer's performance.

The movie had a modest theatrical presence and did not break into mainstream box office consciousness, finding most of its viewers through word of mouth, home rentals, and streaming rather than big ticket sales.

Although it didn't become a major cultural touchstone, the film is noted by some viewers for showing Jenna Fischer in a different light after her TV sitcom success, and for portraying suburban life in the early 2000s with small, specific details. Its quieter moments and domestic awkwardness have kept it on the radar of fans who like personal, character-based dramedies.

Critical response was mixed, reflected in a vote average around 5.4 out of 10 from a small sample of viewers. Reviewers and audiences who respond positively point to its humane focus on single parenthood, grief, and community pressure, while others felt the tone wavered between comedy and drama instead of settling cleanly into either. The film leans on empathy and modest humor to ask what ordinary courage looks like.