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Because I Said So

A kick to Diane Keaton's shin

By TOM MEEK | February 7, 2007

1.5 Stars

AN UNNECESSARY STUMBLE: Because I Said So

As a young starlet Diane Keaton was never glamorous, but she did land juicy roles in some all-time greats, like The Godfather and Annie Hall. Since then she’s aged quite gracefully — call her elegant with a dash of sexy playfulness. Which is why it’s so hard to see her career taking unnecessary stumbles. Something’s Gotta Give was passable, but this cheap, overbearing mother searching for her daughter’s mate because her marriage was such a sham (no orgasm!) is a full-on kick in the shin. One repeating misfire has Keaton’s Daphne Wilder getting stuck at an Internet porn site while her pooch humps an ottoman. Daphne wants her youngest, Milly (pop star Mandy Moore), to meet Mr. Right, so she schemes a set-up with a yuppie architect (Tom Everett Scott). Milly also has a thing for an earthy musician (Gabriel Macht). The ensuing cycle of miscommunication is endless and trying. Adding to the sad misery of once was is director Michael Lehmann, who made his mark with Heathers.

Related: Mad Money, Puccini For Beginners, Very civilized, More

Mad Money
It does have stars: Diane Keaton (daffy!), Queen Latifah (sassy!), and Katie Holmes, who despite avoiding stereotype is cast as the most annoying of the three.
Puccini For Beginners
More like Woody Allen for beginners.
Very civilized
Woody Allen has said that Scarlett Johansson, like Diane Keaton, was “just hit with a talent stick and has it all.” No scoop: just another entertaining Woody Allen film. By Gary Susman
The Good Shepherd
The CIA and the Mafia have been in bed together at least since the Bay of Pigs in 1961, so why shouldn’t Robert De Niro turn the former’s history into a blue-blood version of The Godfather ? Watch the trailer for The Good Shepherd (QuickTime)
Review: Greenberg
Why does she put up with him? Why, for that matter, should anyone in the audience?
No scoop
Prolific as he is, Woody Allen doesn’t really make new movies anymore, he just recombines parts of his previous brainchildren. Watch the trailer for Scoop (QuickTime) Very civilized: The director everyone loves to act for. By Gary Susman
Night at the Museum
“This is not worth $11.50 an hour,” blurts exasperated dreamer Larry Daley when his night-watchman job at New York’s Museum of Natural History takes on a life of its own. Watch the trailer for Night at the Museum (QuickTime)
Five-card stud
Every era gets the James Bond it deserves. Ours gets a Bond who’s strong and forceful but also reckless and arrogant, who blunders into tricky situations in Third World countries and makes a bloody mess of things. Watch the trailer for Casino Royale (QuickTime) Bond traders: Why Pierce got booted
Fashionistas, rejoice!
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Lloyd Thayer is recounting the roster of instruments he plays as we enjoy Indian food in a Central Square restaurant.
Gossip columnist escapes indictment
The much trumpeted federal investigation into allegations that a former New York Post gossip writer tried to extort a friend of former President Bill Clinton has been quietly dropped.
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Topics: Reviews , Celebrity News, Entertainment, Diane Keaton, More

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Watch the trailer for Because I Said So (QuickTime)

ARTICLES BY TOM MEEK

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