Because I Said So (Widescreen Edition)

Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, Lauren Graham. In the name of the mother, the daughters and the sisters comes this delightful case of when does mom stop doing all the wrong things for her daughters for all the right reasons?" A mother standing ready to give her all painfully learns that sometimes her unconditional maternal love and advice need to back off. 2007/color/102 min/PG-13.

In Because I Said So, Diane Keaton outdoes any pushy parent trying to marry off their children. On the eve of her 60th birthday, Daphne (Keaton) decides that she will find a suitable suitor for her youngest daughter Milly (Mandy Moore). Never mind that Moore was barely into her 20's when she shot the film and easily could pass as a high-school senior. The film asks us to believe that an otherwise smart, loving mother would push marriage on a young woman who obviously wasn't ready for that kind of commitment. The romantic comedy has a cute premise that grows old fast: In order to root for Daphne's almost manic desire to see Milly walk down the aisle, the audience has to believe she's undergoing some kind of trauma, or at least dying of an incurable disease. But because she is such an overbearing busybody whose best interests for her daughter have little to do with reality, viewers just see an obnoxious, meddling mother trying to micromanage her child's life. That we don't want to strangle Daphne is a credit to Keaton's acting skills, which manage to shine through, even in the most over-the-top scenes. Lauren Graham and the always adorable Piper Perabo play Milly's older, married sisters. Had the film revolved around the three sisters' lives--sans mom--Because I Said So would have been a much more interesting picture. --Jae-Ha Kim