 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Because I Said So
- Review Date: May 7, 2007
- PG-13
- Genre: Comedy
- 2007
Common Sense Media says
Keaton and Moore can't save bland, cliched romcom.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
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.
What's the story?
Longtime single mother Daphne (Diane Keaton) is determined to marry off her three grown daughters, hoping they'll avoid her own loneliness. She is successful with daughters Maggie and Mae, but poor Milly (Mandy Moore) just can't seem to find the right guy. When Daphne sets up a series of meetings for Milly with young men she finds through the Internet, the movie resorts to an awkward montage of loser dates. Milly's ideal date, in Daphne's mind, is architect Jason, who seems controlling and possessive -- much like Daphne. But just as Daphne sets up the date, another suitor appears in her daughter's life, lounge guitarist/music teacher Johnny. While it's easy to see which man Milly prefers, she has to grind through repeated scenes in which she argues with Daphne, convinces herself that Jason's OK, and talks over all of her dates and anxieties with her sisters.
Is it any good?
Clumsy and bland, BECAUSE I SAID SO sets up one basic joke -- the obnoxious and interfering mother -- and runs it into the ground. Directed by Michael Lehmann in a way that might best be described as "disinterested," Because I Said So includes so many clichés that it's hard to keep count: the bad-driving scenes, the dog reaction shots, the falling-with-cake scenes, the inability-to-work-technology scenes (Daphne pulls up a porn site on her computer and can't turn it off), and even the watching-old-movies scenes. This last is especially egregious and self-defeating -- since Daphne's a Gary Cooper fan, the classic films she watches make this one seem even worse by comparison.
What families can talk about
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?
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AGE
Hmm?
This movie sends the wrong message to teens....The mother and daughters talk often about sex, sexual parnters(!) and even about having more than one partner at a time! PLEASE!!!! Who condones such behavior?!
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AGE
"Because I Said So" glorifies casual sex. Do you want your kids entertained by that notion? We don't.
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AGE
Insane!
This movie is wrong in so many ways: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Physically, it made me sick, emotionally, it made me sad and spiritually, it made me pray. What an awful movie. I turned it off when the mother says that pride is an admirable quality blah blah blah. Save your eyes and ears and select another movie. Hollywood has it all wrong.
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AGE
This movie was pretty boring to be honest and I couldn't really get into it very well. Perfect for teens.
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AGE
I LAUGHED AND CRIED IT WAS GREAT!!
I went to see this movie with some of my girlfriends and enjoyed every minute of it. The ending was funnier than anything and every actor did a great job. I have already recommended it to some friends.
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AGE
suprisingly dirty...i was very dissapointed
i am so surpised that even kids thought this movie was ok to watch. I'm 26 and i turned it off after the first 25 minutes or so--when daphne started watching porn on her computer and the man in the film made a discusting and totally inappropriate comment for anyone to hear, i'd had enough.
there wasn't two minutes in the first 25 minutes of the show that someone didn't say something that had to do with sex. and the worst part is that the mom (daphne) encourages her young and unmarried daughter (mandy moore) to do it!
anyone who says this film is ok for kids to watch is nuts. i wouldn't recommend it to anyone, old or young. in my opinion sex should be very private and intimate and should be shared between two married people and certainly not flaunted in front of the world like it is in this show and so many others.
...no wonder our american society is so messed up.
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AGE
....
it was ok....i only paid attention to like half of it though.......i dunno....it was pretty funny at some parts though....
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| Studio: | Universal Pictures |
| Director: | Michael Lehmann |
| Cast: | Diane Keaton, Lauren Graham, Mandy Moore |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 102 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | February 1, 2007 |
| DVD release date: | May 8, 2007 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | sexual content including dialogue, some mature thematic material and partial nudity. |
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