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Judy Thorburn's Movie Reviews

Because I Said So

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Judy Thorburn

"Because I Said So" - Doesn't Convince Me To Like It

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"BECAUSE I SAID SO" DOSEN'T CONVINCE ME TO LIKE IT

Flick Chicks Chick-O-Meter The Flick Chicks, film, video, movie reviews, critics, Judy Thorburn, Victoria Alexander, Polly Peluso, Shannon Onstot, Jacqueline Monahan, Tasha ChemplavilFlick Chicks Chick-O-Meter The Flick Chicks, film, video, movie reviews, critics, Judy Thorburn, Victoria Alexander, Polly Peluso, Shannon Onstot, Jacqueline Monahan, Tasha ChemplavilFlick Chicks Chick-O-Meter The Flick Chicks, film, video, movie reviews, critics, Judy Thorburn, Victoria Alexander, Polly Peluso, Shannon Onstot, Jacqueline Monahan, Tasha ChemplavilFlick Chicks Chick-O-Meter The Flick Chicks, film, video, movie reviews, critics, Judy Thorburn, Victoria Alexander, Polly Peluso, Shannon Onstot, Jacqueline Monahan, Tasha ChemplavilFlick Chicks Chick-O-Meter The Flick Chicks, film, video, movie reviews, critics, Judy Thorburn, Victoria Alexander, Polly Peluso, Shannon Onstot, Jacqueline Monahan, Tasha Chemplavil

It’s a fact of life that ingrained into a mother’s protective nature is the belief that she has the rightful duty to meddle into her daughter’s business. Although rooted in love and meaning well, often times her unnecessary and unwanted interference can lead to trouble. From one female to another, I know you can relate.

So how does all this fit into the storyline of “Because I Said So”? The film’s premise is a meddling mother played by Diane Keaton who, by the way, I have always been a big fan of and admired her work up until this lackluster effort. Does the Academy Award winning actress need a paycheck so bad that she had to stoop this low? Keaton is surrounded by a very attractive, talented supporting cast, wasted in this train wreck of a film that is strewn with so many embarrassing, absurd moments, that I nearly gagged. How many cake in the face scenes do we need in one movie, if at all? What also annoys me is when a good premise falls into the rut of cheap shots and overused plot devices.

Diane Keaton is Daphne Wilder, cake designer (one uglier than the other) mother to three beautiful daughters. Oldest, Maggie (Lauren Graham of TV’s Gilmore Girls), is a married psychologist who tries being the voice of reason to kick some sense into Mom. Middle daughter Mae is also married (Piper Perabo) and is on screen strictly for the sole purpose of appearing in a thong and introducing risqué sex talk among her sisters and mother (no way are these outrageous conversations believable).

The youngest Milly (a refreshingly healthy looking, as in not skinny, Mandy Moore) however, has yet to marry a nice professional man. She is successful, has her own catering business, but is insecure. Why? Because her overbearing mom, who is about to turn sixty and man-less since her husband left her years ago to raise the girls by herself, lets it be known that she is afraid Milly might be following in her footsteps and wind up alone. To emphasize that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, we are shown Daphne making dinner as Milly is doing the same; Daphne drinking wine, ditto for Milly, as well as them both rearranging furniture. Gee, you think these two are alike? Then it follows that Daphne must know what’s right for her daughter.

Daphne sees Milly like “psychotic flypaper when it comes to the opposite sex. The men she dates are either gay, married, unavailable, or out of their mind”. So instead of Milly making the same mistakes she did, Daphne decides to place a personal ad in the “We Match For You” on line website seeking a “life partner for daughter”, as in the perfect mate.

After Daphne has discouraging face-to-face interviews with a slew of outrageously stereotyped losers and weirdos (like we haven’t seen that before) that answered the ad, up pops Jason (Tom Everett Scott), a tall young architect who seems like a dream come true. Meanwhile, on the sidelines witnessing this scenario, is Johnny (Gabriel Macht) a handsome lounge musician and divorced father whose interest in meeting Milly is sparked by watching her attractive mother in action. Daphne arranges for Milly to cater Jason’s upcoming event and a relationship is born. But unknowing to Daphne, and against her wishes, Johnny sets out to woo Milly on his own. Now, Milly has not one but two great men in her life, both of whom she is sleeping with.

Daphne can’t stand that her daughter is seeing both men and thinks the charming and irresistible musician has heartbreaker written all over his face and is no match against the more responsible, well to do architect. What ensues is pretty much predictable and formulaic with a heavy dose of clichés and outlandish dialogue. There are fights, a breakup, misunderstandings, reconciliation – you know the routine.

In a thankless role, Stephen Collins is Johnny’s father, Joe, who locked out of his apartment, instantly becomes Daphne’s love interest after dropping by Milly’s house where Daphne is staying. Before you know it these adults are making out on the sofa like horny teenagers before Milly and Johnny walk in on their misbehavior. Johnny’s toddler son constantly spews out “vagina” (how unlikely is that?) whenever he sees a woman, and incessantly breaks and tosses things. His presence is a plot contrivance so Daphne has a reason to disapprove of Millie’s relationship with his father.

Most of the characters are terribly underdeveloped and even throwaways. Maggie has a suicidal client, the stereotypical (overused) neurotic Jewish male, utilized for a later stupid, unfunny sight gag to come full circle. Keaton’s ditzy ways that has always been charming is lost in her shrill fast talk and obnoxious behavior that I was turned off and found myself only interested in her cool retro looking wardrobe.

It is hard to believe two women Karen Leigh Hopkins and Jessie Nelson wrote the ill-conceived script, nor that the guy at the helm of the edgy, well constructed Heathers, Michael Lehmann is the director. Lehmann doesn’t appear to have a handle on the characters or the action. As a comedy, BISO is more vulgar than funny and an insult to successful, independent women. This is the 21st century where a woman does not have to feel incomplete without a man, nor so strung out, that she is need of a good “stiff one” to make everything better.

This film was supposed to explore the boundaries of motherly love and hopefully be insightful but it fails from every angle, disparagingly. Nothing works and I was very disappointed. That’s the truth, and not just “Because I Said So!”

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