Because I Said So (2007)

A meddling mother tries to set her daughter up with the right man so her kid won't follow in her footsteps.

Director:

Michael Lehmann

Writers:

Karen Leigh Hopkins, Jessie Nelson

Stars:

Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, Gabriel Macht

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Diane Keaton	...	Daphne Wilder
Mandy Moore	...	Milly Wilder
Gabriel Macht	...	Johnny
Tom Everett Scott	...	Jason
Lauren Graham	...	Maggie
Piper Perabo	...	Mae
Stephen Collins	...	Joe
Ty Panitz	...	Lionel
Matt Champagne	...	Eli
Colin Ferguson	...	Derek
Tony Hale	...	Stuart
Sophina Brown	...	Milly's Staff #1 / Matisse
Karen Leigh Hopkins	...	Milly's Staff #2 / Charlie
Emily Maisano	...	Milly's Staff #3
Gerald Downey	...	Cousin Dougy's Friend

Storyline

Daphne Wilder is a mother whose love knows no bounds or boundaries. She is the proud mom of three daughters: stable psychologist Maggie, sexy and irreverent Mae and insecure, adorable Milly - who, when it comes to men, is like psychotic flypaper. In order to prevent her youngest from making the same mistakes she did, Daphne decides to set Milly up with the perfect man. Little does Milly know, however, that her mom placed an ad in the on-line personals to find him. Comic mayhem unfolds as Daphne continues to do the wrong thing for the right reasons...all in the name of love. In a battle of strong wills, the mother-daughter dynamic is tested in all its fierce, wacky complexity. The girls help Daphne finally discover the truths and impossibilities of motherly love, all while trying to answer the questions: where does it begin and where should it end?

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Plot Keywords:

psychologist | brother sister relationship | father son reunion | two sisters | reference to tennessee williams | 

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Taglines:

She's just your normal, overprotective, overbearing, over-the-top mother.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content including dialogue, some mature thematic material and partial nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Italy] Official site [Russia]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin Italian

Release Date:

2 February 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Because I Said So

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,122,865, 4 February 2007, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$42,674,040, 5 April 2007

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$69,485,490, 12 October 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures,Gold Circle Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actual cakes used in the movie are made by the Cake Divas - they have created one-of-a-kind cakes for numerous movies & television shows; "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Charmed", "Arrested Development", "Judging Amy", "ER" "NYPD Blue", "The Division", "The Drew Carey Show", "JAG," "MTV Video Awards", "Comedy Video Awards" and many more.

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Goofs

In the scene where Daphne is trying to get Milly to pick up the phone and they are both moving the furniture, Daphne is sliding the couch over and it actually keeps sliding for a second (due to someone pulling on the other side) even when Daphne quits pushing.

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Quotes

Daphne Wilder: Well, who would you choose for my daughter?
Johnny: Me.
Daphne Wilder: What? No way!
Johnny: Why not?
Daphne Wilder: Oh, please. I am not setting my daughter up with an attractive, charming musician who will just break her heart.
Johnny: Wow. I love being reduced to a cultural cliche.

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Alternate Versions

In the Italian version, Milly and Jason are learning French instead of Italian.

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Connections

References The Dating Game (1965)

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Soundtracks

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Written by General Johnson, Gregory Perry, Barney Perkins
Performed by Honey Cone
Courtesy of Holland Dozier Holland Productions, Inc.

User Reviews

Entertaining romantic comedy, nothing special

At a pre-screening and Q&A with Director Michael Lehmann and writer Karen Leigh Hopkins hosted by critic Leonard Maltin, the soon to be released film opened with mixed reactions before the 365 member audience of USC film students. The narrative gets off to a slow start with on opening sequence that fails to arouse much interest or laughter. Only until a joke is shared between Millie (Moore) and her mother (Keaton) about a man's uncircumcised entity does the audience begin laughing. This is fairly representative of the movie's humor. It is consistently funny, but only through cheap and superficial jokes and scenarios. At times it even verges on slapstick. However, credit must be given to both Moore and Keaton who put out stellar performances. Moore proves her ability to be an actress following initial debut in Saved and will hopefully be able to move past her image as teenie-bopper musician. Keaton convincingly portrays an over the top single mother who cannot keep her nose out of her daughters' business. The film will have wide appeal for female audiences as it is about the mother-daughter relationship. But men will also find humor throughout and should not be discouraged to accompany their wives and girlfriends. (Note: Guys, this is a good chance to compromise on seeing a romantic comedy that will not bore or disgust.) The film sticks to genre conventions but the comedy aspect of the film veers from typical. The set design and editing are both noteworthy. The film will provide a fun evening for couples, old and young, at the theater and home.