Years ago, Diane Keaton (The Family Stone) starred in Woody Allen’s 1977 masterpiece Annie Hall, earning an Academy Award for her performance in the ditzy yet endearing title role. Keaton’s new film, Because I Said So, certainly won’t be gaining her any other Oscars, but does continue the actress’s streak of somewhat awkward, somewhat enjoyable romantic comedies.

Because I Said So comes off as an inspiring tale of a spinster finding romance, almost uncannily similar to 2003’s Something’s Gotta Give, a film which also conveniently stars Keaton as an aging, offbeat single woman who has love fall in her lap. But this time around, Stephen Collins, primarily known as the television dad from 7th Heaven, plays the leading male role formerly occupied by Jack Nicholson in Something’s Gotta Give. All signs for the film point to “horrible failure,” right? But actually, you might be surprised.

Though it seems that as Keaton’s career progresses, she is often typecast as the slightly offbeat mom, Keaton shines just as brightly as ever in this role. Her quirky nature and all-too-believable neurosis make her perfect for the part of Daphne, a mom who can’t seem to stop butting out of the life of her youngest daughter, Milly (Mandy Moore, American Dreamz).

The youngest of three sisters, Milly is having such lousy experiences with men that she decides to give up on the dating game altogether and model herself after Daphne, her longtime single mom. But Daphne, who is swiftly approaching her 60th birthday, is beginning to regret her life of solitude and will have none of Milly’s decision to boycott men.

Instead, she posts an online classified ad for Milly (who has no clue) and begins the process of interviewing hopeful boyfriend prospects for her daughter. This process provides both a dismal look at and a humorous satire of the dating world, as every kind of gross guy imaginable shows up for a shot with Moore’s character.

Only Jason (Tom Everett Scott, Saved!), a well-off workaholic, captures Daphne’s approval. But there is a second man who enters the equation – the mysterious and handsome Johnny (Gabriel Macht, The Good Shepherd). Although he is deemed a heartbreaker and rejected by Daphne, he won’t give up so easily.

Soon, both men meet and start dating Milly, who is blissfully unaware of her mother’s scheme. But however handsome and cultured, Jason proves to be a little too uptight. Similarly almost-perfect, Johnny is cute but comes with baggage: a son (Ty Panitz, Bones) who requires a lot of attention and taming. Panitz is adorably ADD in Because I Said So and has the comedic prowess of an adult, providing much of the slapstick comedy during the movie.

As Milly experiences the ups and downs of dating both new men at once, the sex-deprived Daphne also meets a man – Joe, who also happens to be Johnny’s father – something she never thought would happen to her again. Joe (Collins) changes Daphne’s life overnight; but the couple’s storyline is haphazardly thrown in toward the end of the film, with almost no time to develop. During Joe’s and Daphne’s first make-out session, hilarity ensues when their children catch them on the couch, but Collins’ and Keaton’s on-screen relationship lacks chemistry. The pair should stick to being exes, as they successfully played opposite each other as ex-husband and ex-wife in 1996’s The First Wives Club.

Mandy Moore, although sweet and believable as Keaton’s daughter, forces her performance a bit too much. She once again proves to the audience that she started out in the music industry, as if anyone could forget after Moore’s starring roles in A Walk to Remember, Saved and American Dreamz all featured her in at least one singing number. In this film, however, that detail of her character’s life is unnecessary and doesn’t advance the plot in the slightest, leaving the audience puzzled as to why it is included at all.

Milly’s sister Maggie (Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls) steals the show. Playing a witty psychiatrist and “the smart one” of the family, Graham has good comedic timing and an ability to deliver a line memorably, even when featured in a movie full of women who never stop talking. The three women chat the most about sex, so much so that it almost comes off as a bit creepy, considering these women are supposed to be playing a group of daughters and their aging mother. It’s good for a laugh,but a weird one.

Though Because I Said So seems cliché, its interesting plot twists, surprising bits of comedy and great supporting cast make it a feel-good movie that actually does its job, as opposed to making you hate the romantic comedy genre. Keep on, Keaton!

Contact reporter Courtney Pomeroy at pomeroydbk@gmail.com.