Daphne Wilder is the mother of three daughters. Her two eldest have found men, gotten married, and embarked on successful lives. Then we have Milly, the youngest. Her luck with men is, well, not so lucky. Out of a mother’s love, Daphne decides that her daughter needs help getting her love life on track. To jump start things, Daphne decides to post an online ad seeking dates for Milly. After identifying a likely candidate, Daphne schemes to get the two hooked up. Of course, plans of this kind seldom go as expected.

Directed by Michael Lehmann, Because I Said So is a fairly formulaic light romantic comedy. It really doesn’t break any new ground. There is plenty of talent on tap here, including Diane Keaton as Daphne and Mandy Moore as Milly, but they’re not given much to work with.

The conflict between a mother who wants what’s best for her daughter and a daughter seeking her own way in life, of course, is ripe with dramatic opportunities. Sadly, the plot here treats the conflict superficially in favor of tired jokes about sex and about Daphne’s inability to operate anything electronic in nature.

Underneath the humor, there is an interesting story about a mother coming to grips with her own life and a daughter learning to deal with relationships. Daphne’s meddling even winds up producing someone her daughter genuinely cares about, though this burgeoning relationship is almost nipped in the bud because of Milly’s resentment of her mother’s interference. The key dramatic moment comes when mother and daughter finally have an honest talk about what each of them is feeling. The real lesson here is that no matter how much you love your kids, you simply can’t live their lives for them.

Yes, there are tenderhearted moments on tap, but they are few and far between. If you’re looking for a light movie for a “girls night out” this movie might do the trick; otherwise you can skip it without missing much.

Because I Said So is rated PG-13 for “sexual content including dialogue, some mature thematic material and partial nudity.” Honestly, it’s fairly tame stuff—but the degree to which you find gags about online porn and furniture-humping dogs amusing will definitely affect your reaction.

Courtesy of a local publicist, Michael attended a promotional screening of Because I Said So.