If Because I Said So was a personal ad, it would read something like this:
Neurotic, meddlesome, micromanaging mother seeks mate for youngest daughter so said daughter won’t end up bitter and alone (like her mother). Mate must be rich, charming, uptight, safe, and boring. Funny, laid-back, and slightly disheveled men need not apply. Because daughter doesn’t know what’s good for her, compatibility is not an issue. All suitors must pass “mother” test.
Because I Said So, starring Diane Keaton as Daphne Moore, mother of three daughters, and Mandy Moore as youngest Wilder, Millie, was at times painful to watch.
Keaton, who played eccentric beautifully in The Family Stone and Something’s Gotta Give, came off as neurotic and irritating in this role. While I can only hope that was the intention, at times I wanted to wring her neck because she was so over-the-top annoying. And while she is usually fabulous with physical comedy, everything she did in this film, including the physical comedy, felt forced.
Moore, who is building a solid acting career with comedic turns in How to Deal, Saved! and American Dreamz on her resume, felt half-hearted in her role of youngest daughter Millie, at times letting Keaton’s character Daphne steamroll right over her with oppressive mothering, stealing every scene — but not in a good way.
The best parts of the film were saved for the other Wilder daughters, played by Lauren Graham and Piper Perabo (who, shamefully, had a small part that did not do her justice). Both Graham and Perabo seemed relaxed and playful in their roles, in complete contrast to Keaton’s, and, to a lesser extent, Moore’s forced, borderline slapstick roles.
To tone down the estrogen of the film, the three leading men’s roles were played by veteran actor Stephen Collins, with Tom Everett Scott and Gabriel Macht playing Millie’s potential suitors. Fans of TV’s now-retired Arrested Development will appreciate a small role played by the hilarious Tony Hale.
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