I can only assume Because I Said So already has legions of females lined up to see it; this movie was made for the XX chromosome set. Diane Keaton plays a mother hell bent on marrying off the last of her three daughters, Milly (Mandy Moore), but social awkwardness, a career and her mother’s obsessive behavior are causing Milly some intimacy problems to say the least.
After seeing her first two daughters married off and happy, Daphne Wilder (Keaton) looks around and finds herself alone after being left by her husband several years ago and her sights are set on her youngest daughter and finding her a suitable mate. Where does she turn? The Internet of course and places a personal ad looking for the right man. After a series of interviews she has believed she has found said man (Tom Everett Scott), but Milly’s eyes begin to gaze elsewhere and thanks to her mother’s meddling and Milly’s love triangle we have our plot.
Written by Stepmom scribes (Karen Leigh Hopkins and Jessie Nelson) this is a by-the-book romantic-dramedy that never really manages to find its groove as several beats hit just a bit too late despite their satisfying payoffs. It’s as if that favorite song of yours added just one more drum beat and it throws off the whole song but still has that fantastic chorus line. Cliches are par for the course but unless you are trying to buck the system (something that rarely works), it is mandatory with this sort of film.
As Daphne Wilder, Keaton is exactly as you would expect and very much like the role she played in Something’s Gotta Give even down to the wardrobe. What’s up with the tight white and masculine outfits Diane? Mandy Moore is proving that she can indeed act and she carries herself quite well, especially in the face of the Oscar-winning Keaton. Daphne’s two other married daughters Maggie and Mae played by Lauren Graham and Piper Perabo are perfect background players and make for a good balance between the confused Milly and her overbearing mother.
Because I Said So is sure to have some audience members howling (such as the gentleman sitting across the aisle from me during my screening), but I think it will leave the majority of moviegoers luke warm. The running time clocks in at 102 minutes, but if you had asked me following the screening I would have told you it felt like two hours minimum. Because I Said So will likely have a big opening weekend box-office, but its decline is imminent.
