To say that &#8220Because I Said So” is a disappointing mess would be an understatement.

Despite a solid cast that includes Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore and Lauren Graham, this would-be romantic comedy is just plain bad – with unlikable characters doing unrealistic things in contrived and unfunny situations.

Keaton stars as Daphne, an overbearing single mom of three. Two of her daughters, Maggie (Graham) and Mae (Piper Perabo), are happily married, but the youngest daughter, Milly (Moore), is insecure and unable to sustain a relationship.

Daphne places ads in the personals – looking to find the perfect man for her daughter. Daphne thinks she’s found that guy in the almost too-good-to-be-true Jason (Tom Everett Scott), but Milly finds herself torn between Jason and a musician named Johnny (Gabriel Macht).

With so much talent involved in the project it really took me by surprise at how uninspired it was.

Karen Leigh Hopkins and Jessie Nelson’s script is unfunny, lacks charm and relies way too much on juvenile humor that doesn’t fit the material.

Michael Lehmann directed the brilliant ’80s comedy &#8220Heathers,” but his work here is more like his work in films like &#8220Meet the Applegates” and &#8220Hudson Hawk.”

And then there are the actors. Keaton is such a treasure, it is embarrassing to see her slumming in this film. Moore has developed a solid resume, but this puts a dent in that. Graham, Perabo and Stephen Collins, as a love interest for Daphne thrown in at the last minute, are all wasted.

I really wanted to like &#8220Because I Said So,” but ultimately I just felt pity for it. You expect films like &#8220Epic Movie” to be bad, but a film with this much wasted potential proves to be an even more depressing movie experience.

Opening this week

There are movies like &#8220Because I Said So,” that disappointed, and then there are films like &#8220The Last Sin Eater” (B-) that turn out to be a pleasant surprise.

This adaptation of a Francise Rivers’ novel feels a little heavy-handed at times, but works, largely do to an outstanding performance by 11-year-old Liana Liberato.

Liberato plays Cadi Forbes, a young girl living in a community of Welsh immigrants in 1850s Appalachia.

Cadi feels responsible for the death of her little sister and begins a quest to find the one person she feels can take away her sin – a mysterious entity known as the Sin Eater.

But in her quest for redemption, Cadi discovers a dark secret that has haunted her community for many years.

Period dramas can be a tough sell to the average moviegoer and a period drama with a deeply religious message is an even harder sell.

Director Michael Landon Jr. has a tendency to overdo some of the shots and really uses the score in an almost over-the-top way at times, but his film is saved thanks to Liberato. The young actress is mesmerizing, effectively capturing the pain and agony of this young girl burdened by the death of her sister. I really cared about Cadi and I wanted to know what would happen to her and that is a credit to how strong Liberato’s performance is.

A quick search of the Internet Movie Database, www.imdb.com, shows that Liberato’s previous work has been a couple of appearances in television series. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this talented young actress.

&#8220The Last Sin Eater” is rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some intense sequences of violence and open Friday at the Greenwood 10.

DVD dandies of the week

In honor of Valentine’s Day, here are a trio of suggestions sure to satisfy any couple.

&#8220Bull Durham” (A) gives you the best of both worlds. There is romance for the ladies and baseball for the guys. What more could you ask for?

&#8220Bull Durham” tells the story of an aging veteran baseball (Kevin Costner) assigned to handle the team’s star rookie pitcher (Tim Robbins). The relationship is further complicated when they both become involved with an eccentric superfan named Annie (Susan Sarandon).

This is Costner at his peak, with Sarandon delivering an Oscar-worthy performance. Ron Shelton’s script is very smart – delivering plenty of one-liners – but has also has a romantic side that will make just about any woman swoon.

Another great selection that once again features Costner is 2005’s &#8220The Upside of Anger” (A). Costner plays a once-great baseball star who gets involved with Terry (Joan Allen), a suburban wife left to raise her four daughters after her husband unexpectedly disappears.

Allen is the heart and soul of &#8220Anger,” giving the best performance of her storied career.

&#8220Anger” benefits from a strong supporting cast and a strong script that manages to find humor and drama almost simultaneously. It’s everything that &#8220Because I Said So” wanted to be.

If &#8220Bull Durham” and &#8220Upside of Anger” are a little too serious for you, then my final suggestion is &#8220The Wedding Singer” (B).

This 1998 comedy about a singer (Adam Sandler) who falls for a waitress named Julia (Drew Barrymore) is charming and full of laughs.

Sandler and Barrymore have great chemistry (the two would go on to star in &#822050 First Dates”) and Tim Herlihy’s script is good enough to balance romance with some solid belly laughs.

&#8220Bull Durham,” &#8220The Upside of Anger” and &#8220The Wedding Singer” are all available on DVD.