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Movie Review - Because I Said So (2007)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Michael Lehmann |
| Starring: |
Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, Gabriel Macht, Tom Everett Scott, Lauren Graham, Piper Perabo, and Stephen Collins |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for sexual content including dialogue, some mature thematic material and partial nudity) |
| Length: |
102 minutes |
| Genre: |
Romantic Dramedy |
| Tagline: |
She's just your normal, overprotective, overbearing, over-the-top mother. |
| Studio: |
Universal |
| Website: |
Because I Said So |
| Release: |
February 2, 2007 |
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PLOT
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In a desperate effort to set her daughter (Moore) up with the perfect man, Diane Keaton heads to the online
personals for her search. She's tired of seeing her daughter deal with disappointment, and she wants to protect
her from living the same loveless life that she's led.
She thinks she's found ideal husband material in architect Tom Everett Scott, but a free-spirited
musician throws himself into the picture, consequently throwing a wrench into mom's best laid plans. Mandy
Moore whores it up and starts dating both men, unable to pick just one. Clichéd chick flick complications and
over-the-top hijinks (or comic mayhem, as the press notes claim) ensue.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Because I Said So. It's a title designed to inspire a knowing nod from mothers who have
used the term often and from the daughters who have been forced to accept the term as an unsatisfactory answer.
Mothers and daughters all across the country, specifically relating to the title, are then to link arms and
sprint to the nearest theater and buy their tickets.
It's a cute marketing ploy that will likely work effectively enough to help the film make a profit.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work so effectively at making this a good movie. And I would recommend you think twice
before falling for this little scheme. What's next, This is Gonna Hurt Me More Than it Hurts You? Maybe
we can explore the father-son dynamic in that one.
Theaters should offer three things to moviegoers who dare sit through this - testosterone shots for all the guys
forced to see this against their will, a needle and a thread for any guy who actually likes it and will need to
sew something back on, and crackers to go with the cheese we were just fed.
"But Johnny! I love Diane Keaton! I love Mandy Moore! Won't I still enjoy it?"
Perhaps. If you're easily amused. The performances are all admirable enough, complete with Moore making as
many cute, scrunched-up faces as humanly possible, and I had no problem with the chemistry between the
characters. And even though Keaton's been in a ton of better movies that this tries to rip off, she somehow
manages to salvage her reputation despite the material. Of course, if her career can survive Town &
Country then she's obviously bulletproof. But this is just one of those movies that offers absolutely
nothing new to its genre.
Everything's too over-the-top, stereotypical, and unbelievable. Keaton gets mad at her expensive GPS system so
she starts yelling at it and kicking it ... WHILE DRIVING?!?!?! Really? Come on. Others in the audience were
laughing; I was shaking my head at how ridiculous the scene was.
Kind of like how I was shaking my head whenever the camera would show Keaton's dog having an emotional
human reaction to everything! Aww look, a dog can be embarrassed by two humans going at it hot and
heavy! How cute! Nope, how lame. I hate that kind of stuff. Sorry.
And to be completely honest, I really didn't care about the mother-daughter relationship. A headache ensued
whenever they'd bicker and try to yell over each other, but the thing that bothered me most about their
conversations was a little thing I like to call TMI.
I'm going to issue a warning to any and all of my family members who are reading this review right now - you
might want to avoid this next paragraph. I'm about to mention a word that no family member of mine has ever
heard me utter, and they might not want to see it now. Proceed at your own risk...
I simply did not need nor do I ever need to hear again a daughter explaining to her mother what an orgasm is
like. First of all, what mother and daughter talk about that kind of stuff? Disgusting. But second of all,
if I walked into a real-life mother/daughter conversation on the subject then you know what? I wouldn't listen
in. I'd respond, "Ewwwwww, gross!" and high-tail it on out of there.
All right, family, you may continue reading.
Oh, and could someone please explain to me why I'm supposed to care who Moore ends up with? She's
SLEEPING WITH TWO GUYS AT THE SAME TIME! Well, not at the exact same moment, but you know what I mean. She's
not just dating them, trying to figure out which one she likes the best. Oh no. She's actually having sex
with both of them. You know what that makes her? A slut. A slut who's opening herself and two different guys
up to all sorts of diseases.
And I'm supposed to root for her to choose the right guy? I think we'd better root for her to choose the right
health insurance plan instead because she's probably gonna need that more than a dreamy boyfriend.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- After reading *COUGH skimming COUGH* the press notes, I hope to never see the term "powerhouse actress"
again.
- I'd also be fine with never hearing about the "mother-daughter dynamic" again.
- Mandy Moore's horrendous outfits in the film make Jennifer Love Hewitt's Ghost Whisperer atrocities
look flattering. Who is doing wardrobe for these people? Some spiteful female trying to make pretty girls
look bad??
- Diane Keaton's parachute dresses don't look any better.
- Co-screenwriter Karen Leigh Hopkins was passing time in a doctor's waiting room when she overheard the
story of a mother who was proud of setting up her daughter on dates with men she believed to be quite
eligible. Thus the idea for this movie.
- Lauren Graham fans will be disappointed in her cute, but highly underused character.
- Stephen Collins sheds his 7th Heaven Reverend Eric Camden image and engages in premarital
sex. Stephen, Stephen, Stephen. What would Ruthie think?
- Collins played Keaton's husband in The First Wives Club, a film I have no plans of ever
watching.
- After reading the script, Paul Brooks, president of Gold Circle Films, opined, "I believe women will
instantly relate to this film and the people in it, and blokes like me who have wives, mothers and daughters
will recognize a lot of what's going on ... and perhaps even develop a sense of understanding!"
- Or perhaps not.
- Some of the script's risqué dialogue was rather eye-opening for Moore. She laughs, "I don't normally speak
as candidly with my mom and girlfriends about anatomy and whatnot ... not like these women do. But I think it's
fun in a film to find out what else women do tend to talk about, and how they talk about it."
- Wasn't fun for me. And seriously, do most mothers and daughters talk that explicitly about such stuff?
I highly doubt it.
- Her co-stars' vocal talents impressed Moore, the seasoned professional of the fledgling group. "Everybody
can sing quite well," she commends. "We joked around that we should make it a girl quartet and take this show
on the road. I'm such a softie for those singing moments in romantic comedies. I think it's perfect that we
have not just one, but two, in our film."
- Twice the horror, I say. Unless Mandy Moore wants to see a romantic comedy with me. In which case I say
BRING ON THE SINGING MOMENTS!
- The press notes don't mention how bad the lip-synching is in the film.
- I could've ended the review with a line like, "Don't go see this movie. Why? Because I said so." But I
know 48 other reviews are gonna attempt to be cute and do that.
- Diane Keaton was in Father of the Bride with Steve Martin who was in L.A. Story with
Kevin Pollack who was in The Usual Suspects with Stephen Baldwin who was in The Young Riders
with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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I wouldn't recommend this one for my mom and sisters to go see together. All three would be extremely
uncomfortable. It gets sexually explicit at times regarding discussions on sex, male anatomy, etc.
My sisters would prefer death over trying to broach these subjects with mama.
We also see all the ladies in their underwear. This includes Piper Perabo in a thong and Keaton in an
unattractive pair of granny panties.
The language isn't too bad, but I think it'd be best to leave the pre-teens at home.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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The trailer didn't blow me away. In fact, I thought it looked a little cheesy, but considering the cast, I
thought it had a chance of being tolerable. The trailer wisely avoided showcasing the movie's worst moments.
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THE GIST
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If you're a sucker for sugar overdose and you swoon over pre-closing credits declarations of love that inflict
moviegoers with lines such as, "I love that when I breathe you in, you smell like cake batter," then go ahead
and knock yourself out. Figuratively speaking.
If you're a guy with a girlfriend who wants to see this then I highly recommend making up an excuse RIGHT NOW.
If you get trapped and have no choice but to see it then go ahead and knock yourself out. Literally. It's the
only way you'll make it through. As for me, well, I smell something all right. Unfortunately, it ain't cake
batter.
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