DVD Review: Because I Said So

When I say this in the theater one word came to mind, "delightful." Yes, that is the perfect word to describe Because I Said So. It is a light film that has a couple of poignant "real" moments adrift in the sea of a formulaic "chick flick." This is a movie that exists in that Hollywood created fantasy of the romantic comedy. It is a land where people who should not, and would not, have these problems in the real world have the problems that probably exist in one form or another in the lives of many of their real world counterparts.

Diane Keaton is the matriarch of a family that consists of three daughters produced by a strong gene pool. Keaton is Daphne Wilder, mother to Maggie, Mae, and Milly, played by Lauren Graham, Piper Perabo, and Mandy Moore (see what I mean by good genes?). Anyway, Daphne is a single mom, after her husband's early exit, so early in fact that he never appears in the movie, who's had to be the single point of influence for her girls. Her love knows no bounds, and may just be the slightest bit invasive, particularly when it comes to Milly.

You see, while Maggie and Mae are happily married, Milly seems to be particularly inept at finding a lasting relationship. She seems to have given up, in a way, throwing herself into her burgeoning catering business. Seeing a need for a man in her daughter's life, Daphne sets out to find one for her. This plan requires the placing of a tiny little internet ad, and setting up interviews. The interviews lead Daphne to Jason (Tom Everett Scott), a successful and handsome architect. She arranges for the two to have a "meet-cute" which leads to a dating situation. Of course things do not go as planned as Jason has a little competition, unbeknownst to him, in the form of Johnny (Gabriel Macht). Johnny is a musician who comes across as the more genuine of the two men, but they each are a good match for the lovely young Milly, if for different reasons.

By now you should probably be able to see where this going. If you can't, take a guess as you will most likely be right. This film follows the formula with no major deviations. Formula is generally used as a criticism of a movie; I have used it myself in that purpose, but it is not always the case. The formula is a formula for a reason, it worked at some point, and then it was used a few more times with more success than not. The key is to take your chosen formula and inject it with, in this case, likeable characters, some light comedy, and a happy ending. At the very least use the formula, but don't approach it as such, all too often bad formula movies are bad not because of the formula, but because they were used as a strict roadmap for their film. Here it is definitely formula, but it has an energy to it that it is easy to overlook it. Credit to Director Michael Lehman and screenwriters Karen Leigh Hopkins and Jessie Nelson for succeeding in making the formula work for them.

Along the way the formula is set aside to toss in a few elements that are not traditional, yet not distracting to the proceedings. The touches add a little flavor to the story and perhaps help it ring a little truer within its fantasy world. Things like not making Jason out to be a "bad guy," as would be the perfect convention to use, the addition of a love interest for the meddling mom, and the familial moments of true communication between mother and daughter add so much flavor.

The performances are about as groundbreaking as the story - in other words, they aren't. Still, they are injected with life and a likeability that will hold your attention. Diane Keaton is good; it may seem like a familiar performance, but it works. Then there is Mandy Moore who lights up the screen; she has great presence and a charisma that fits this type of film perfectly. While underused, Lauren Graham and Piper Perabo have some nice moments. Gabriel Macht is the stereotypical lovable rogue with a heart of gold, but he makes it work without seeming corny. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention Tony Hale in a very small role as a psychiatric patient to Lauren Graham's practice. He is a funny guy, but it seems like a riff on his Buster role from Arrested Development.

Audio/Video. Audio is good, it is Dopby Digital 5.1 and does a fine job of giving us strong dialogue and spreading out the music. Nothing revolutionary, but the movie doesn't aim for that anyway. Video is pretty good, although it did seem a little drab to me, I remember the colors popping a little more on the big screen, still it looks pretty good. It is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen.

Extras. This is not a special edition, and the few extras prove it, these are not much of a selling point, at least for me.

• The Making of Because I Said So. This is a brief fluff piece that highlights the relationships between the women in the film and how they all came together on the project. To further the fluffiness of the piece, the DVD menu proclaims that it is "Brought to you by Volkswagen." Give me a break
• Designing a Wilder World. Another brief featurette. This one takes a look at how they chose Los Angeles to shoot in and how they wanted to show the beauty of the city. They also go into the costume designs. Plus the cakes and how they were their own characters in their own right.
• iVillage Pregnancy Ad. Why is this here?
• Music Video: "World Spins Madly On" by The Weepies. Lame pop track made up of clips from the movie.

Bottomline. A delightful, light comedy. It is an enjoyable watch, not a classic, but not everything needs to be. Watching Because I Said So put a smile on my face, something that we all need once in a while. Just don't bother with the "extras."

Recommended.