Romantic comedies are rarely known for their innovative plotlines and awe-inspiring cinematography; instead, they're set apart by other qualities, such as witty lines and notable acting. Sadly, "Because I Said So" succeeds in none of these areas. There are, of course, redeeming moments, but they are so few and far between that the predictable storyline and somewhat flat characters become the main focus of the film.
Daphne Wilder (Diane Keaton) plays the overprotective, overbearing mother of three girls: established psychologist Maggie (Lauren Graham), sexed-up Mae (Piper Perabo) and insecure, unlucky Milly (Mandy Moore), who is comparable to "psychotic flypaper" when it comes to men, attracting only the absolute worst or the unavailable.
Milly is a caterer and the only one of the daughters left unmarried. She is almost a mirror image of her mother in terms of her actions, and Daphne fears a life of solitude for Milly, much like her own.
Daphne decides to do what she does best: interfere. She puts out a personal ad as a mother seeking a man for her daughter. Milly does not suspect a thing as she juggles two men: Johnny (Gabriel Macht), the sensitive musician, and Jason (Tom Everett Scott), the sensible, workaholic architect, both of whom are respondents to the personal ad. Chaos ensues, which is at times funny and other times just whiny. When Milly finally learns the truth, the strength of both her individuality and her relationship with her mother is tested as she must choose between the two men.
The storyline is predictable, weaving a straight and narrow path with no real turns. It is entirely unrealistic, but somehow can be laugh-out-loud funny, most of the time out of unintentional absurdity.
The movie was directed by Michael Lehmann, who earned his fame for "Heathers" (1989). He has directed nine feature films, including "Airheads" (1994), "The Truth About Cats & Dogs" (1996) and "40 Days and 40 Nights" (2002). Lehmann has also directed episodes of "The West Wing" and "Big Love." It is extremely unlikely that "Because I Said So" will be listed among Lehmann's major achievements.
"Because I Said So" offers little of anything lifelike, with every character seeming more like a caricature than a human being. Daphne is as over-the-top as possible and when not serving as comic relief, she is simply irritating and unnecessary.
Furthermore, some of the mother-daughter bonding scenes between Daphne and Milly fail at achieving their comical effect and end up feeling painfully awkward, such as when Milly describes what an orgasm feels like to her 60-year-old mother.
The girls sing with their mother in several scenes of the movie - undoubtedly for the sole purpose of allowing Moore to prove herself with anything other than her mediocre acting. Both Moore and this movie need something other than pretty melodies to be saved.
"Because I Said So" manages to suck in and employ every aspect of a romantic comedy that should be avoided at all costs. Certain characters, such as Mae, have no more than five lines and are simply there to serve as stereotypes, thereby taking the film up and over the clich?© cliff it has been dangling on.
"Because I Said So" does try hard, but its efforts fall short. The dialogue is enough to make you cringe and the acting is sub-par, and in the end, all the movie really has to offer is a good looking cast and a few funny jokes. The most appetizing feature of the movie is the food at Milly's catering company. So, ironically, any good overbearing mother's advice would warn you to stay far away from this movie.
