There's that old saying that every daughter becomes their mother. Most daughters balk at the idea, but then one day it sneaks up on you, that inevitable realization: "Oh my god, I've become my mother."
"Because I Said So" finds a mother meddling in her youngest daughter's love life in hopes of saving her from following too closely in her footsteps.
Daphne Wilder (Diane Keaton) has three beautiful, successful and happy daughters. However, she feels like her youngest, Milly (Mandy Moore), lacks a stable love life. Milly, a chef, is a magnet for the less-than-perfect man.
Milly's sisters, Maggie and Mae (Lauren Graham and Piper Perabo), think that Daphne's being a little too involved in Milly's relationships, yet she remains fixated. So she does what any well-intending mother would do -- she takes out an epic personal ad: Mother seeking life partner for daughter.
The ad draw finds Jason (Tom Everett Scott), a handsome, charming architect. In mom's eyes, the perfect man for Milly. But as luck would have it, another man enters the picture. Johnny (Gabriel Macht) takes it upon himself to be the perfect boyfriend for Milly.
Daphne pushes Milly to believe that Jason is the man she should spend her life with, but just because she says so, doesn't mean it's right.
"Because I Said So" works as a fun, fluffy, no frills romantic comedy. It truly conveys the relationships between mothers and daughters; how they can be ever so close yet have those times that are straining and completely frustrating. The movie also tackles love life and relationship problems, whether it's finding a guy who can handle a nervous laugh, which sometime includes snorting, or juggling more than one guy at the same time.
Surprisingly, Moore received top billing of "Because I Said So" over her costars, including Keaton, but it was well deserved. She's come a long way from her pop princess days and has grown into a believable actress; enough so that she should try a more serious role rather than always being the girl next door.
One only wishes that director Michael Lehmann or writers Karen Leigh Hopkins and Jessie Nelson had forgetten that Moore has a singing career. Milly announces to one of her boy toys that her family is a singing one. Lo and behold, the Wilder women create an all female quartet in not one, but two scenes.
Keaton has been known to be able to carry a tune ("Annie Hall") and Perabo sang in "Coyote Ugly." Graham, on the other hand, is known for her witty banter in the "Gilmore Girls," not singing and Perabo is the one that doesn't get a solo.
While seeking a man for her daughter, Daphne inadvertently finds a man for herself. Funny enough, it's Johnny's father Joe (Stephen Collins). Their relationship grows, but so does Milly and Johnny's. Does anyone else think that's a bit weird? A father-son and mother-daughter pairing?
After two other motherly roles in the past three years, Keaton gets a matriarch that has some fun and actually gets to be a parent.
"Because I Said So" doesn't demand much from its audience. It's not brain surgery, just an enjoyable date movie. Most women will love how true to life it can be, while the guys will probably focus on Moore's beauty, but wish they were two theaters down watching some action film.
Originally from Des Plaines, Ill., Heather moved to Milwaukee to earn a B.A. in journalism from Marquette University. With a tongue-twisting last name like Leszczewicz, it's best to go into a career where people don't need to say your name often.
However, she's still sticking to some of her Illinoisan ways (she won't reform when it comes to things like pop, water fountain or ATM), though she's grown to enjoy her time in the Brew City.
Although her journalism career is still budding, Heather has had the chance for some once-in-a-lifetime interviews with celebrities like actor Vince Vaughn and actress Charlize Theron, director Cameron Crowe and singers Ben Kweller and Isaac Hanson of '90s brother boy band Hanson.
Heather's a self-proclaimed workaholic but loves her entertainment. She's a real television and movie fanatic, book nerd, music junkie, coffee addict and pop culture aficionado.
