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February 9, 2007 > Arts & Entertainment > Because I Said So needs Moore comedy, romance

Because I Said So needs Moore comedy, romance

By Jackie Ammons | Thresher staff

Because I Said So. The title reflects the content. It is a film mandated by arbitrary, purposeless humor and actors whose talents are underutilized and misdirected. Following Hollywood’s recent trend of humiliating gifted actors, Because I Said So is just another romantic comedy that lacks comedy and is only borderline romantic.

Because I Said So’s overprotective mother Daphne (The Family Stone’s Diane Keaton) wants to control the romantic life of her youngest daughter Milly (American Dreamz’s Mandy Moore) who is plagued by failed relationships. Unbeknownst to her daughter, Daphne creates an online personal ad for Milly and proceeds to set her up with two men: established architect Jason (Air Buddies’ Tom Everett Scott) and free-spirited guitarist Johnny (The Good Shepherd’s Gabriel Macht).

After a few weeks of dating both men, Milly discovers that her controlling mom wrote the online ads, and mother-daughter conflict ensues.

This film attempts to attract two kinds of viewers: mother-daughter pairs who want a sentimental, girl-bonding trip to the movies and fans of romantic comedies who simply want a laugh at the twists and turns of romantic relationships. However, both kinds of viewers will be disappointed.

The mother-daughter bonding between Keaton and Moore is only superficial and revolves around conversations where they discuss sexual innuendo and polka- dot dresses. Their supposedly relatable connection is too contrived to be identifiable. Any stress in their relationship is easily resolved by a quick, “I’m sorry,” from Keaton, only to be disappointingly followed by more nagging.

Romantic comedy fans will not be satisfied by Because I Said So. Comedy is exchanged for sexual tension, and romantic sentimentality is overridden by the fact that Milly dates two men simultaneously. A brief glimpse at romance appears only after Milly chooses between the two men. Thus, the romance and the comedy in the film oppose each other, producing a movie in which comedy is awkward and romance is minimal.

On the other hand, Keaton and Moore are talented actors. Keaton inhabits the role of the control freak mother, putting the character on like a second skin. Moore convincingly plays the stock role of the sweet, misguided young girl.

Unfortunately, Because I Said So fails to make the most of Moore’s greatest talent — music — allowing Moore to sing only one solo line that is subsequently drowned out by a chorus of mother, daughter and sisters (Bad Santa’s Lauren Graham and The Prestige’s Piper Perabo).The entertainment value of the film would have been significantly increased if the fillmakers had given Moore a microphone.

The film’s few humorous moments keep it from being a complete failure. Daphne’s nagging, while annoying, is literally smothered three times by a cake flying at her face. The guilt she displays when caught kissing Johnny’s father contains its own form of comedic irony. Keaton is funniest when she steps out of the mother shoes and acts like a real person.

Although the movie lacks its advertised content of comedy and romance, Because I Said So has entertaining moments. Keaton and Moore are the victims of a poorly-written story. However, even these brief scenes are outweighed by the movie’s overall lack of humor and are ultimately not worth the time of an entertainment- craving audience.

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