For those girls, or even guys, who like to curl up in a blanket on a rainy day and watch feel-good movies, "Because I Said So" is one more to add to your list of favorites. The film follows Daphne (Diane Keaton), a mother searching for a "life mate" for her youngest daughter Milly (Mandy Moore). Milly continuously has trouble finding a nice, stable, responsible boyfriend. Daphne, in desperation, secretly resorts to putting Milly's information on an online dating site and interviewing the prospective dates before sending them Milly's way.
The film continues as Milly dates both Jason (Tom Everett Scott), her mother's first choice from the dating site, and Johnny (Gabriel Macht), a single father and musician who always has Milly's best interests at heart. Daphne, afraid that her daughter will make the same poor guy-choices that she has, pressures Millie into choosing Jason while failing to see that he is an over-anxious, self-absorbed control freak. She also fails to see that Johnny, the romantic, caring father, has already won Milly's heart.
The story unravels as both mother and daughter are faced with various challenges. Daphne needs to let go of her youngest daughter and trust her to make her own decisions, and Milly needs to choose the man most capable of making her happy.
Moore's performance is absolutely delightful. I no longer include her in the group of pop-singers who unsuccessfully try to become actresses. I rather see her as a multi-talented artist who can both sing and act with grace and beauty. With her caring eyes and endearing personality, she is a perfect match for Macht's Johnny; meanwhile, Macht is like a younger and hotter Jude Law.His smile, which makes me weak at the knees, was one of the best parts of the film.
Moore's older sister Maggie was played by Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham. Though stunning, I will admit it is difficult to see her as anyone other than Lorelai Gilmore, especially when the characters she plays are so similar.
I am convinced that Keaton ripens with age, becoming even more radiant with every new film she makes. 25-year-olds should hope to look so good, let alone 61-year-olds.
Still, there are some disappointments in the film. Though I didn't expect the film to be a musical, I was upset to see the lack of singing from Mandy Moore. Though Daphne and her three daughters make a brief musical spectacle, I was waiting through the entire movie to see Moore let loose. Perhaps something similar to "Only Hope" from "A Walk to Remember" would have satisfied me and the large number of teenage girls who filled the audience.
Another disappointment was the misleading trailer. In previews, Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" played triumphantly in the background, yet the song was nowhere to be heard in the actual film. This may seem like a ridiculous complaint, but I was waiting for the cheesy climax when such a song would be playing.
Overall, I found this to be a great chick-flick to add to my ever-so-long list of movies for dreary days. You might come out of the audience desperate to fall in love immediately, but the film is worth it. For those who tend not to enjoy romantic-comedies and the cheesiness that they entail, this would probably not be the movie for you. For us hopeless romantics, however, the film stands on a near even keel with such classics as "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days" and "Garden State."
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