All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Average User Score: 7 (74 sources)

Submit Movie Review

Review this film

Tell the world what you think of Because I Said So

Your Score:

reset score

Write Your Review:
When writing your review, remember to keep the language clean.

Submit Review Cancel

lsburton

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

I didn't love it, but didn't hate it enought to change the channel. I caught it in the middle and just kept watching hoping it would get better but...it didn't. They could have done better with the cast they had.

Report Abuse

Posted mar 15, 2008 4:10 am pt

Jaxiecracks

-1

Agree (5)

Disagree (0)

This was an abysmal film. Maybe not the worst film ever, but still, pretty abysmal. This film is why Mandy Moore annoys me -- everything is too cutesy to capture the neuroses she seems to be aiming for, everything too histrionic to feel real....
[+] Read Full Review

This was an abysmal film. Maybe not the worst film ever, but still, pretty abysmal. This film is why Mandy Moore annoys me -- everything is too cutesy to capture the neuroses she seems to be aiming for, everything too histrionic to feel real. Lauren Graham and Piper Perabo are wasted as the "other sisters"; indeed, upon reflection, I think Lauren Graham could have done Mandy Moore's role much more justice (and it would have made more sense to be worrying about a thirtysomething daughter never finding true love vs. a young twentysomething). A sad throwaway movie for Diana Keaton, who also feels prone to histrionics rather than real acting. There are many scenes in this film that felt like on-the-fly improv -- and not in a good way.
The concept seems like a classic Hollywood chick flick, yet I feel like this film would have done better as a small indie with under the radar actors. Plot holes like Millie seriously dating two guys without feeling real remorse that neither guy knows it, and Daphne getting pulled into romance as quickly as she does, are more easily forgiven when the film is billed as an indie. Strangely enough, this film perhaps suffered most from having too much money and too much talent at its disposal.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted aug 24, 2007 11:40 am pt

Jensen_Briana

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (0)

I didn't really like this movie. the storyline was pretty cool, but at some parts the mom was just desperate, confused, and annoying. It was pretty funny, but sometimes it was just boring.

Report Abuse

Posted jul 19, 2007 5:44 am pt

Jordan_Alexa

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (1)

i was very disapointed by this movie.
i thought it was going to be great because all the leads are fantastic actresses but i was very disapointed in it.
some parts were funny, and some parts were sweet. but in between i didn't enjoy...
[+] Read Full Review

i was very disapointed by this movie.
i thought it was going to be great because all the leads are fantastic actresses but i was very disapointed in it.
some parts were funny, and some parts were sweet. but in between i didn't enjoy it at all.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jul 18, 2007 11:05 pm pt

afq2846

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (0)

In watching this movie I felt like I had seen this before.. thats before I realized that.. I had seen this movie before. This movie goes over the same ground that has been gone over, over and over again. Keaton plays the mother of three girls...
[+] Read Full Review

In watching this movie I felt like I had seen this before.. thats before I realized that.. I had seen this movie before. This movie goes over the same ground that has been gone over, over and over again. Keaton plays the mother of three girls where the youngest girl (moore) has problems finding a man. Keaton takes it into her own hands and puts an ad in an on line site to get her daughter a man. She meets the men to pick the one for her daughter and when she finds the right one another one comes along and goes for the challenge. Moore starts to date both guys and the rest you can pretty much figure out. Keaton plays the meddling mother who just does not know when to stop. If all this sounds recgonizable it is because you have seen it before. It seems as if Keaton is stuck in the same role over and over again. Middle aged woman who is trying to keep everybody else's life together but her own. Its being billed as a comedy but its not really that. The acting in this movie is good obviously but the movie itself is not very good. I cannot recommend this movie because.. I said so.. very common movie with nothing special here. Skip it if you can.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jun 14, 2007 3:06 am pt

prettyedy

-1

Agree (2)

Disagree (0)

I usually love Diane Keaton but this role seemed very awkward. I can't really say what made it bad; the directing, the editing or she was just it off her game; but it did make me uncomfortable to watch. I think I even heard a line from a Diane...
[+] Read Full Review

I usually love Diane Keaton but this role seemed very awkward. I can't really say what made it bad; the directing, the editing or she was just it off her game; but it did make me uncomfortable to watch. I think I even heard a line from a Diane Keaton/Woody Allen movie. That was weird. It's not worth the time to go back and look it up.

The story and the cast of characters had all the elements of a charming story, but it fell flat.

The one bright spot was Gabriel Macht's Johnny. His character and story line were perfect. There was never a doubt that Mandy Moore's Milly would end up with him.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jun 13, 2007 2:26 am pt

huffyduffy

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (1)

I am sorry but this movie is boring it will make you sleep.The actress are great and whatever but plot of movie is really bad.I don't think it good idea to watch it but see for urself .It not that funny either.

Report Abuse

Posted apr 26, 2007 7:38 am pt

joshkedwards

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (1)

surprisingly witty and original. it had its flaws but it made up for them in the real relationships keaton and moore represented. the love, concern, and annoyance they had with each other is the most authentic model of how my sisters and my mother...
[+] Read Full Review

surprisingly witty and original. it had its flaws but it made up for them in the real relationships keaton and moore represented. the love, concern, and annoyance they had with each other is the most authentic model of how my sisters and my mother communicate. charming!

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted apr 25, 2007 6:46 pm pt

Roxxy117

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (1)

I mostly saw this movie because Lauren Graham was in it, but when I saw Stephen Collins was going to be in it too I was like "I have to see this movie!" This movie is a very heartwarming and funny movie about the relationship with your...
[+] Read Full Review

I mostly saw this movie because Lauren Graham was in it, but when I saw Stephen Collins was going to be in it too I was like "I have to see this movie!" This movie is a very heartwarming and funny movie about the relationship with your mom. Even though Daphne is OBSESSIVE with trying to fix her daughter up with a man, I thought she was funny and quirky. And of course annoying. :) Lauren Graham did a wonderful job acting in this movie. It was refreshing to see her act in something other than Gilmore Girls where she's talking a mile a minute and is so young and hip and fun. I mean I LOVE that about Lorelai, but it was nice to see her act in something where her character is more professional. Mandy Moore perfected her character Milly...I thought she was very cute. I loved the ending to the movie. Like the VERY end. It was an interesting way to end it...(with the guy getting nailed in the face with the cake). Very funny! :D I can't wait to see this movie come out on dvd. I'm making sure to buy it! :D

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted apr 1, 2007 7:00 am pt

jennifer11334

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (2)

it was an awesome moovie i loved it!!

Report Abuse

Posted mar 7, 2007 6:40 am pt

• [+] ReelViews
  
  75
  Despite being rooted firmly in "chick flick" territory (with a high "cuteness" index), it has the capacity to please to viewers of both genders who appreciate the genre.

  by James Berardinelli | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Hollywood Reporter
  
  60
  Amongst the cardboard-cutout supporting characters, Lauren Graham brings a welcome deadpan sensibility to the overeager proceedings.

  by Sheri Linden | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Onion (A.V. Club)
  
  50
  Any relationship between the world of Because I Said So and actual human behavior is purely coincidental.

  by Scott Tobias | Read Full Review »
• [+] New York Daily News
  
  50
  Keaton is so over-the-top, so loud and so physically animated that when Daphne develops a case of laryngitis mid-way through the movie, it's as if a neighbor's car alarm has finally been shut down. However, in those silent moments, when Daphne is communicating with notes, you realize how much you like this actress.

  by Jack Mathews | Read Full Review »
• [+] The New York Times
  
  50
  A mild exercise in deliberate mediocrity, with chuckles and heartwarming moments distributed as carefully as nuts in a factory-made brownie. The movie's lack of ambition is hardly surprising, but both Ms. Moore and Ms. Keaton, who can wring flustered comedy out of the mildest provocation, deserve better.

  by A.O. Scott | Read Full Review »
• [+] Philadelphia Inquirer
  
  50
  Because I Said So might have been sharper if it had focused on the mother/daughter relationship and didn't blunt its story with romantic comedy.

  by Carrie Rickey | Read Full Review »
• [+] Slate
  
  50
  The problem with Because I Said So isn't that it's formulaic and predictable; fans of romantic comedy can get around those qualities, and even appreciate them. It's that the film keeps missing out on its own opportunities for comic gold.

  by Dana Stevens | Read Full Review »
• [+] Variety
  
  40
  An exercise in canned cuteness, Because I Said So pushes its normally appealing stars, Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore, over the edge of sitcom hysteria.

  by Dennis Harvey | Read Full Review »
• [+] Village Voice
  
  40
  Like nearly all of Lehmann's post- "Heathers" work, it's lazy and disinterested--a hack-for-hire job any number of film-school grads could have put through its uninspired paces.

  by Scott Foundas | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Tribune
  
  38
  Formulaic romantic junk.

  by Michael Phillips | Read Full Review »
• [+] TV Guide
  
  38
  Overall, Graham and Perabo have so little to do that it's hard to imagine why Maggie has three daughters instead of one; they just clutter up her screen time. As to Perabo, she seems to exist for the sole purpose of making risque remarks, and the family dog has more memorable moments.

  by Angel Cohn | Read Full Review »
• [+] Entertainment Weekly
  
  33
  This slapdash, charmless, baldly boomer-chasing romantic comedy, directed by Michael Lehmann (Heathers) from a clunky, orgasm-obsessed script by Karen Leigh Hopkins and Jessie Nelson, is the lazy studio's answer to a call for more age-appropriate entertainment for "More" magazine readers.

  by Lisa Schwarzbaum | Read Full Review »
• [+] Austin Chronicle
  
  30
  With a lazy, cliché, rabid plot and paper-thin character development, Because I Said So might as well have been directed by a trained chimpanzee.

  by Toddy Burton | Read Full Review »
• [+] Washington Post
  
  30
  What the filmmakers try to play for laughs -- a mom and her daughters chatting about orgasms while shoe shopping -- isn't funny, it's creepy.

  by Ann Hornaday | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Reader
  
  30
  Throughout most of her career Diane Keaton has shown sound instincts, so it's a mystery why she failed to sniff this false, brittle comedy out as a waste of her gifts.

  by Andrea Gronvall | Read Full Review »