Because I Said So (2007)

A charming film, charming characters and an excellent story. It was great, superb for a better word. So so great. And if you've seen the film, you'll understand just what I did there. And if you haven't- what are you waiting for? This film is about a meddling, hovering helicopter of a mother to three beautiful, independent daughters. Trouble is, one of the said daughters- Milly- can't seem to catch a good guy. She's had her fair share of the jerks, the workaholics, the 'unavailable' ones, the psychopaths...you name it. And her mother can't have any of them for a son in law- Oh God no. So of course, she she interviews a bunch of prospective men, and women, for her daughter. One man catches her eye, and she has him meet her daughter. They hit it off, but Milly has another man she's stringing along. She can't seem to decide between them.I've never been able to tolerate cheating, so I wouldn't say Milly's 'temporary solution' was the wisest. But, I feel the story was engaging, and laugh out loud funny. Not a kiddish sort of film though, but definitely a good choice to keep a bunch of adults amused. Mandy Moore, who plays the 'spinster' daughter, was wonderful in this film. The passion and enthusiasm was definitely there, reminding me of her acting in a Walk to Remember. You just can't go wrong with Moore.Equally, insanely charismatic was Gabriel Macht who played one of the men vying, unknowingly, for Milly's heart. As a fan of his acting in the TV show drama Suits, I enjoyed his performance. There's something about his characters, always an air of mystery but the ever present, alluring charm. A lot of the humour, however, can be attributed to Diane Keaton who plays the controlling mother. Her smile is infectious and her antics, frustrating but genuine. A mother worried for her children.I will recommend this film for a mother's day film- but only if you're really close to your mother, else it'd be little awkward. For mom and you, both.

Because I Said So (2007): Dir: Michael Lehman / Cast: Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, Gabriel Macht, Tom Everett Scott, Piper Perabo: Disappointing romantic comedy about the influence of parental role models. Diane Keaton plays a single mother who sends out a personal ad to create dating possibilities for her youngest daughter. Promising setup is burdened with formula stupidity and an ending that screams contrivance. Directed by Michael Lehman who had more success in the genre with The Truth About Cats and Dogs. He does what he can here but the cast are stranded in dumb situations. Keaton is one of the most dependable of actresses but here she delivers perhaps her worst performance as this meddling mother. She is involved in an idiotic stalking and driving sequence that should be seen by no one. Mandy Moore as the targeted daughter has also done better but here she is done in by a forced snort laugh that Sandra Bullock already overused in the Miss Congeniality films. Gabriel Macht as a musician had promise until he is reduced to dumb romantic clichés. Tom Everett Scott is flat as the guy approved by Keaton. Lauren Graham and Piper Perabo are fetching attractive actresses who more or less sleepwalk through this crap. Theme of a mother's love tarnished in sappy sitcom situations resulting in a film that should be crushed with a rolling pin. Score: 2 / 10

In the movie, "Because I Said So", Diane Keaton plays a mother, Daphne Wilder, whose unconditional love has no boundaries when it comes to her daughter's love life. Daphne Wilder's three daughters are Maggie (Lauren Graham), who is the oldest, well established and responsible one; Mae (Piper Perabo) who is the carefree one; and Millie (Mandy Moore) who is the single, bubbly one, that is unsuccessful when it comes to finding the right guy. This romantic and love tangled comedy takes place in San Diego California. Daphne Wilder, a single mother, has the best of intentions when it comes to the unconditional love she has for her daughters, but when it comes to the love life of her youngest daughter Millie, she abides by no boundaries to find her love. Daphne, being a single mother of three since her children were young, is in fear of Millie becoming the same person she has. Millie has had several failed love attempts in the past and after the most recent, decides she is okay with being single and wants to be just like her mother. In efforts to prevent Millie from being alone, Daphne decides to post a personal add to find the perfect match for her daughter. The twist to this, is not only does Millie not know about the secret ad her mother has sent out but also that her mother is orchestrating the men of her choice running into her daughter. Millie finds herself stuck between two seemingly perfect men, one, a successful architect named Jason who her mother chose and another, a gentle and down to earth musician named Johnny who made his own efforts to meet her. Millie's indecisiveness of which guy she should let go, is resolved when Johnny sees that Millie is in a relationship with Jason who she is not going to stop seeing. While at Jason's house, she learns that they only met because of the personal ad her mother posted on the Internet. Millie and Daphne's relationship hits a hard bottom as a result of this and love is the only thing that may or may not hold together their mother-daughter bond. With the help of burning chocolate soufflés she chooses the path that is right for her and overcomes the obstacle of who to love and how to forgive.The theme of polka dots was used to construe the ups and downs in relationship between Daphne and Millie Wilder. Daphne is wearing a polka dotted dress when she interviews Jason, who she chooses for her daughter. For Millie and Jason's first run in, Daphne buys Millie a red polka dot dress so he knows exactly who he's looking for. Millie also wears this polka dot dress to go on her first date with Johnny, the guy that Daphne's mother is rooting against. This represents the disagreements between Millie and her mother and what they feel is right for Millie. They also represent the happiness in their relationship, at the end of the film when the Wilder bunch is having a happy polka dot themed celebration. Food is used as a tie between Millie and Daphne Wilder and their intuition in life. There are several scenes in the movie where Millie and Daphne are cooking chocolate soufflés either to perfection or to a crisp. When Millie and Daphne are arguing on the phone about which guy Millie should let go of, Daphne burns and catches her soufflés on fire for the first time. When Millie is at Jason's house, she burns her soufflés first the first time ever. When Millie is cooking them for Johnny, she takes them out of the oven at their perfection. The soufflés seem take the role of intuition and emotion for both of Millie and Daphne in this movie.As much as the film is a cliché in its storyline of an over- loving mother, a daughter who is lost in her search for love, and the three daughters who are the best of friends, it is what drew my attention. These are the kind of story lines that attract the attention of viewers, because they end happily. This is personally one of my favorite movies; I love the fun music, the themes of polka dots and food and the closeness of the mother and daughter. I thought even though the film's events were predictable, I still think the storyline was fun and really had the audience involved in the emotions and relationship between the mother and daughter.

I kept hoping and praying for this movie to get better. It's littered with cliché... Let me preface this by saying that I LOVE ANNIE HALL. I love that movie. It was a wonder and revelation for me. Here comes the pain...It's Diane Keaton being "Diane Keaton" yet again. I want to see her play something other than herself. It was cool in Annie Hall, but it's tired now. It's also more neurotic. What a shame. It's like going from the Oscars to the local dinner theater. Even a case of laryngitis couldn't shut this character's trap! The ONLY time I saw Diane Keaton NOT play "Diane Keaton" in this movie was her face after she asked Mandy Moore's character what it feels like to have an orgasm.It's a brief glimmer of hope that fades after five seconds. Singing? What a weird touch...I don't think the direction was the problem. I think it was the writing. Karen Leigh Hopkins wrote some of the other movies that I love to hate: Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael and Stepmom are good examples. Jessie Nelson should be ashamed after delivering something golden like I am Sam. Who knows...??? Maybe Sean Penn and Dakota Fanning elevated that movie for me.Don't buy this. Don't rent this. Wait to see it on TBS. For all of the movies that lump a story with cooking, the least they could've given us was some cooking or baking hint that becomes all the rage. Ex. It's Complicated. That movie sucked, but at least we got the lavender honey ice cream.