Because I Said So

Michael Lehmann's 'Because I Said So' is a half-baked contrived clichéd romantic comedy wannabe. It focuses on the relationship between a mother (Diane Keaton) and a daughter (Mandy Moore) and how the mother influences her daughter to choose between two guys. Diane Keaton's Daphne Wilder is a caricature. She delivers lines that are textbook formula and pretty much acts out all the clichés of an eccentric manipulative mother. Why on earth did she agree to do such a film? Mandy Moore is surprisingly alright. Tom Everett Scott is miscast and Gabriel Macht too suffers from bad writing and is limited to smiling and crying. Lauren Graham is in 'Gilmore Girl's' Lorelai mode except that here she's a psychologist. I did enjoy her scene with Tony Hale and she does look bewitching. Piper Perabo has no role that can be described in words except that Lehmann probably cast her to show off her body in a bikini. 'Because I Said So' has nothing new to offer and no substance. It does look polished and the sets are quite nice but why waste an hour and a half on that?