CS Weekly Archive > Weekend Read > 02/02/07

Say It Ain't So

By danny munso

Because I Said So

Karen Leigh Hopkins & Jessie Nelson

As a fan of romantic comedies in general, sometimes you have to take them with a grain of salt. You know the film isn't great, but sometimes its charm covers a lot of the warts (two recent examples: The Holiday and Must Love Dogs). Unfortunately, Because I Said So is not one of these movies. The story follows Daphne (Diane Keaton), an overprotective mother who always seems to meddle in her youngest daughter, Milly's, (Mandy Moore) affairs. Daphne sets up a personal ad for Milly, hoping to guide her child to a better love life than she has been cursed with. Yep, that's the plot. The script takes this sitcom-episode premise and somehow stretches it to 100 minutes, destroying the audience's will along the way. The fact that this is a comedy that just plain isn't funny is bad enough, but to make some of the jokes cruel and tasteless manages to knock it down even further. That these two writers could somehow waste the immense comedic talent of Diane Keaton is an even bigger crime. Instead of trying to join in on the smart screenwriting Keaton has enjoyed in her career, the writers felt better about having every joke be as superficial as possible (often centering on the male and female anatomy) and hoping that every time they wrote a pratfall or cake accident into the script (Daphne is a cake designer), that it would cover up just how bad this movie is. Unfortunately, the number of cakes dropped in the film cannot equal the huge mess that is this film's script.

Because I Said So
Universal Pictures
Rated PG-13; 102 min.

Buy tickets now

Danny Munso graduated from film school in 2004 and can currently be found on his computer working on one of his many half-written screenplays. Or, more likely, he's on the Internet checking the scores of his beloved Bay Area sports teams.

Because I Said So courtesy Universal Pictures

From the Trenches
Working screenwriters discuss in their own words a particular aspect of screenwriting, from the mechanics of writing to the personal and professional impact that writing has had on their lives. > VIEW ARCHIVE

The Art of Craft
Screenwriting experts discuss how to approach various aspects of writing and the writing life. A mini-seminar each week from the people who write the books and teach the classes. > VIEW ARCHIVE

The Big Picture

Features that cover all aspects of screenwriting, from our "Seven Best" lists to analysis of old favorites and new classics. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Expert Witness
A panel of experts assembled to provide the facts about the screenwriting business. Readers will be able have their questions answered by an agent, producer, entertainment attorney, and WGA representative—and without paying that 10% commission. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Son of a Pitch
A weekly tutorial on how to write a script. Each week deals with a different element of creating a script, with the ultimate goal to provide a step-by-step instruction manual for new writers. The guide for this is a writer just diving into screenwriting himself, who asks the pros questions any new screenwriter would have about this brave new world. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Weekend Read
Film, book, web site and technology reviews from a writer’s perspective. How can these items help a writer on his or her journey, or make that journey more enjoyable? > VIEW ARCHIVE

DVD Review of the Day
DVD reviews from a writer’s point of view. What aspects of this script and features of this DVD illuminate the writing, development, and storytelling process? > VIEW ARCHIVE