Released: February 2nd, 2007
Runtime: 1 hr. 42 min.
Ticket Price: $7.00 Matinee
Refreshments: Peanut M&M’s
Starring: Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, Lauren Graham and Gabriel Macht
Director: Michael Lehmann
Rating: Worth a Full Price Ticket – 
Synopsis: Daphne Wilder (Diane Keaton) is the mother of three beautiful daughters. Milly (Mandy Moore) is the youngest and has the most trouble with choosing the right guy. Mom doesn’t want to see her daughter go down that path again and sets out to find her the right guy. Daphne tries to find Mr. Right by heading out into the online dating waters and much comedy and calamity follows.
Review: Because I Said So is like a chocolate souffle pulled from the oven at just the right time. It is light and sweet and fun to eat yet it is also warm and dramatic in presentation. To put it plainly, this was a very well done romantic comedy drama. It is not quite When Harry Met Sally or Sleepless in Seattle but better than last week’s Catch and Release.
Because I Said So starts you out with a photomontage of women and their daughters and weddings over the years. Then we jump to the wedding of the oldest daughter of the Wilder three who is played by Lauren Graham (TV’s Gilmore Girls, Bad Santa). Next we get to see a bit of the middle daughter’s wedding, which is played by Piper Perabo (Cheaper by the Dozen, Coyote Ugly). These two scenes let you in on the family dynamic quite well. You’ll find that the mother, played by Diane Keaton (Something’s Gotta Give, Baby Boom), is a meddler who really cares for her daughters and the youngest one, Milly played by Mandy Moore (Saved!, How to Deal), is no good at finding the right guy. Then the comedy really gets going as the mother decides to find the perfect man for her daughter by placing an ad at an online dating site. This leads inadvertently to her daughter meeting two men, one of her mothers choosing and the other not so much.
Diane Keaton is at her uptight quirky best as the mother of this beautiful brood. Her best scene might just be when she learns that her daughter is going out with another guy. Not the one she set her up with and she must just get a peak at him. I don’t want to ruin it for you but it involves cars, a dog and an unhelpful GPS.
Lauren Graham complements nicely as the oldest sister as does Piper Perabo in a lesser role. They both serve the story well, with a well-placed line or appearance to break up the conflict between mom and her youngest.
The relationship between the sisters reminded me of Related, a very good TV show that unfortunately only lasted one season on the old WB (now The CW). They are an amusingly vibrant and loving family that is always on the phone with each other. Talking about how one of the other ones is annoying them.
Tom Everett Scott (TV’s Saved, That Thing You Do) plays Jason, the man chosen by Milly’s mother, Daphne. He is a good-looking rich architect. Gabriel Macht (The Recruit, American Outlaws) plays Johnny, a musician who finds out what Daphne is doing and thinks he would like Milly but is rebuffed. He decides to find out for himself. They each play their characters well and if you have ever seen a romantic comedy before, you know whom she is going to end up with. This doesn’t take anything away from the movie, as it is the journey, even knowing the destination, which is worth watching.
One minor annoyance for me was the dubbing of some singing. It didn’t seem that the scene called for a pitch perfect voice, just a real one that showed these women were having fun. This would have conveyed what they were going for in that scene a lot better. Seeing mouths not quite line up with what you are hearing took me out of the moment, briefly. This is weirder still, considering Mandy Moore is a singer and Diane Keaton can sing as well.
Because I Said So is a very sweet and funny story of a mother who just wants her youngest daughter to be happy and not make the same mistakes she made. It is worth paying for a full price ticket. If you are looking for a good time, with four fabulous women, then head on out and see Because I Said So. Why exactly, you ask? Well, that should be pretty obvious.
Have you seen Because I Said So? Let us know what you think. Would you recommend it?
