"Happiness is a choice," says overbearing Daphne to her youngest daughter Milly in Because I Said So. But when Daphne tries to make that choice for her daughter - by posting an ad on the Internet for Mr. Right - hijinks, heartbreak and baked goods ensue. Suddenly Milly (Mandy Moore) must juggle two men as her mother learns to stop controlling her daughter's life and live her own. The movie is sentimental and clich‚d, but pleasantly surprising.
Diane Keaton is over the top as Daphne, but shines nonetheless. Moore, as the kooky Milly, occasionally acts like a child playing dress-up, but she holds her own against Keaton. Lauren Graham, as Daphne's oldest, steals her scenes with perfect comic timing, while Gabriel Macht plays Milly's love interest with a sexy subtleness.
The plot is predictable, and the title leaves something to be desired, but the movie successfully tackles the bond between mothers and daughters in a tender, often hilarious way. And it delights in the details: the deliciously colorful cakes that bakers Milly and Daphne make, the whimsical dresses that the girls wear, the ridiculous way in which they tell their mother far too much about their sex lives, and the unexpected slapstick moments (like the Korean masseuses who pepper their gossip with Yiddish).
Overall, Because is worth seeing, or at least renting; Keaton and Moore deliver an enjoyable experience with lots of laughs that both sexes will appreciate, and what's more, Keaton proves she still looks smokin' in tighty-whities.
