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The Wilder women have always been close. They laugh together, they sing together, they shop for shoes together, and they eat cake together. Single mom Daphne (Diane Keaton) is thrilled that her two oldest daughters, Maggie (Lauren Graham) and Mae (Piper Perabo), have found the right men and have settled down. The only problem is Millie (Mandy Moore), the youngest, a caterer who has horrible luck when it comes to men. Determined to save her daughter the agony of yet another broken heart—and to prevent poor Millie from spending the rest of her life alone, just like her mother—Daphne decides to help out a little bit. She places a very specific personal ad, looking for the right man for her daughter. All kinds of unsuitable men show up to meet Daphne, for a chance at her daughter—but the only guy who impresses her is Jason (Tom Everett Scott), an architect who’s everything she wants for her daughter.
Also at the restaurant that night is Johnny (Gabriel Macht), a musician who watches it all play out from his place on stage. After talking to Daphne, Johnny decides that he wants to meet Millie, too—even though Daphne rejects him right away. After all, he’s a musician with a tattoo—and he’s bound to break Millie’s heart.
Both men find their way to Millie—and she’s thrilled to have the attention of two sweet and handsome guys at the same time. She can’t seem to choose between the two, though—especially since her mother keeps pushing her to Jason.
Because I Said So is a totally predictable and outrageous chick flick, starring Diane Keaton as my mother. She’s fun and full of energy. She’s constantly either baking a cake or rearranging furniture (and no matter what she’s doing, she’s always talking on the phone). And she’s devoted her whole life to raising her daughters. Though she sometimes gets a little more involved than she should, she really does mean well. She just wants her daughters to be happy. And if my mom had known about the Internet before I met my husband, I could see her doing the very same thing. So my enjoyment of this movie probably has a lot to do with Keaton’s similarities to my own dear mother. But I found it funny—because it’s so true. Some of my fellow critics (especially the male ones) will tell you that Keaton’s performance is exhausting—or that she’s too over the top to be realistic. Obviously, they’ve never met my mother.
Granted, the writers often take things a bit too far—and some of the frighteningly candid discussions that these women have with their sisters/mother will make you squirm uncomfortably in your seat just a bit. And, okay, Keaton’s wardrobe sometimes made my head hurt. But I could forgive all that—because it made me laugh. And that’s what counts.
Because I Said So isn’t a movie for guys—because they won’t get the whole mother/daughter thing. But if you’re a chick whose loving, well-meaning mother has ever stuck her nose where it didn’t belong (just because she loves you), you’ll find that this flick is good for plenty of laughs.
DVD Review:
My male film critic counterparts may have written Because I Said So off, but I’m not backing down on this one—and now that it’s out on DVD, I can’t wait to share it with my own crazy mother.
Special features on the DVD, however, aren’t exactly extensive. In fact, you can make it through all of them in about 20 minutes—thought that might actually encourage you to watch some of them, just for fun. For starters, there’s a behind-the-scenes feature, complete with cast interviews, that talks about what it was like to film with a cast full of women (it also notes that, had Diane Keaton gotten her way, the movie might have been even crazier). In addition to a random iVillage commercial and a clip-filled music video from the movie’s soundtrack, there’s also a feature on designing the movie. It covers everything from the location to those gorgeous cakes to the sometimes wacky wardrobe choices (I’ll admit that I now understand Diane’s wardrobe—though I’m still not condoning it). After watching the features, I actually appreciate the little things just a bit more—and I’ll be sure to keep my eyes out for polka dots when I watch the DVD with Mom.
