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Because I Said So Review

Movies.com Critics

2.5

Dave White Profile

It's dumbly inoffensive, unless you're offended by things that induce napping. Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 2.0
    26

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Generally unfavorable reviews
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 0

    out of 100

    Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

    This film bespeaks a truly startling mistrust of the movie audience, and, what's more, a disrespect for the feature film medium. Yes, of course it was conceived as an unpretentious entertainment pitched mainly to girls and young women. Yet that doesn't explain the nightmarish quality of the finished product.

  • 20

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

    Not so much phoned in as it is auto-dialed with a text-to-speech prerecorded message in one of those creepy robotic voices.

    Read Full Review

  • 25

    out of 100

    USA Today Claudia Puig

    It's so derivative, unfunny and thuddingly bad that it's one of the more cringe-inducing movies of a genre chock-full of clunkers.

    Read Full Review

  • 33

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

    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.

    Read Full Review

  • 40

    out of 100

    Variety Dennis Harvey

    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.

    Read Full Review

  • 50

    out of 100

    The New York Times A.O. Scott

    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.

    Read Full Review

  • 60

    out of 100

    The Hollywood Reporter Sheri Linden

    Amongst the cardboard-cutout supporting characters, Lauren Graham brings a welcome deadpan sensibility to the overeager proceedings.

    Read Full Review

  • See all Because I Said So reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 13+

Keaton and Moore can't save bland, cliched romcom.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that kids under 14 (even big Mandy Moore fans) probably won't be interested in this flat, unoriginal romantic comedy. The film's humor is based on a very tired stereotype: the aggressively interfering mother. Her interest in her youngest daughter's love life leads to silly jokes, sexual imagery (women appear in their underwear, some kissing, a brief montage shows one woman with two different partners), and innuendo (including discussion about -- and re-enactment of -- orgasms). Very mild language for PG-13 ("ass," "damn it") and some tame social drinking.

  • Families can talk about romantic comedies. How is this movie like other romantic comedies you've seen? Why do movies in this genre tend to follow the same pattern? Can you think of any examples of obvious "romantic comedy" elements (i.e. making Milly's boyfriends so different that her choice seems obvious to viewers)? Families can also talk about overbearing parents. How can suggestions that are intended to be helpful end up hurting the person they're directed at? Besides criticizing them, how else could Daphne encourage her daughters?

The good stuff
  • message true0

    Messages: A mother berates her adult daughter and interferes in her dating life; sisters withhold information; Milly cheats on both boyfriends; boyfriends are alternately scheming, angry, and possessive.

What to watch for
  • violence false0

    Violence: Pratfalls (two involving cakes); suggestion that a suicidal patient jumps out a window (cake falls on the patient's head).

  • sex false3

    Sex: Mother and daughters appear in underwear in locker room (their bottoms appear in close-up and they discuss thongs), subtitled references to Daphne's need for a "stiff one" and "poofter" Daphne watches porn Web site (sounds are explicit; imagery is not); dog humps stool; reference to "woody" discussion of orgasm (with daughter acting out what it's like for her mother); some cleavage; Daphne worries that an unbuttoned dress shows that her daughter is "asking for it" non-explicit montage of sex scenes (Milly with two men); little boy says "gina" (for vagina) and "penis" kissing/making out between Daphne and Joe, who later appear in bed together.

  • language false0

    Language: Mild language: "ass," "damn it," plus semi-joke about "Italian for 'late'" ("retardo") and several sexual innuendoes.

  • consumerism false0

    Consumerism: Reference to Mentos.

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some drinking on social occasions (wine, champagne, brandy).

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.

© Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Fan Reviews provided by

Average Rating: 3.665
Read all reviews Write a review at Fandango
1

A weak, offensive overall horrible movie!!!!!!!! by Ewansgal88
First of all, most scenes fell flat. It was a lame, weak predictable plot. Most importantly however, I have never been so offended in my life!!!! The overall implication was that a woman cannot be happy and her life cannotbe complete unless she has a man. Now I am not a hater of men or a ******* but come on!! Diane Keaton's character is on an obsessive quest to find her daughter a man. She will have failed at life if she lets her daughter continue on her own. Never once does it cross anyones mind that a woman can do fine on her own and even be happy. She doesn't even learn her lesson in the end... she gets married!!!

3

by draco333

3

by moinkie

4

by AlterEgoElphaba

5

by my2mikes117

2

by mogwaiaurora

5

by acinom03

4

chick flick fun by cokefix86
If you like Something's Gotta Give and Jerry Maguire, you'll enjoy this one. Very funny and quite realistic as far as the mother-daughter relationship is concerned.

1

by laf8006

Read all Because I Said So reviews at Fandango
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