And how is THE BACK UP PLAN exactly what you’d expect? Well to start with it falls into the category of current ideology romantic comedy. Comedian Whitney Cummings summed it up nicely in her recent Comedy Channel special when she described current romantic comedies as setting the bar high for women’s views on romance with stories that will absolutely never happen in real life. It seems to be what all romantic comedies are like these days, so why should this one be any different?
Jennifer Lopez stars as Zoe, a young career woman who owns her own pet store in New York City. Zoe has decided that with no man in her life and wanting to start a family, its time for her back up plan: artificial insemination. A few gynecology jokes later and she’s done.
Happy as a lark and hoping for the best, she jumps in a cab only to find another occupant, Stan (Alex O’Loughlin). Both claiming the cab is theirs, they exit at the same time trying to out nice the other and resulting in both walking in the rain. A chance encounter a few days later at the open air market where Stan sells his own cheese and they two take an interest in one another. Showing up at Zoe’s store to hear the Dog Whisperer speak seals the deal.
The two become a couple and as their first date is about to begin, Zoe takes a pregnancy test to discover that tah dah, she is indeed pregnant. Forget that it usually doesn’t happen the first time around, she’s ready to go. Instead of talking about it, she sees Stan and they pair end up falling madly in love. Wanting to make sure of herself she agrees to a weekend at Stan’s farm where the two hit the sheets…or in this case a table in the barn…after which she tells him of her condition.
As in most romantic comedies, this leads to a back and forth of acceptance and denial from one party or the other. At first Stan is upset then decides yes, he can deal with this. But then Zoe heads back to New York thinking it will never work. But after several days they reunite and begin their life together.
The problem is that Zoe has trust issues since her father left her family after her mother was diagnosed with an illness that killed her. Stan may be that perfect someone, but she isn’t willing to believe that that person exist. Stan, on the other hand, is the one dealing with the reality of children, the costs involved, having to change his lifestyle, etc. As I said, they go into an up and down relationship where they’re together, then apart, then together again. Face it folks, by the last reel these two are gonna be a couple.
So there is no real mystery in this film. It’s a romantic comedy so there will be no sad moment of losing the babies, nor will the pair split apart forever. Instead they will live happily ever after.
So what’s wrong with that? Absolutely nothing. This is not cinematic art in high gear here folks. This is a nice little piece of fluff designed to do nothing more than entertain. And it does that quite well. The lead couple is engaging, attractive and playing roles that have them not look for some deep seated love but more along the lines of romantic comedy fall in love at first sight and know it will last forever kind of love. And in movies there’s nothing wrong with that. Even more so when it offers entertainment.
Lopez has been off camera for a while but she hasn’t lost a thing. She still makes her roles believable and comes across as a good hearted soul here who has been burned far too many times. Her character doesn’t linger on that, but it’s always a subtext there beneath her exterior. O’Loughlin (who I’m honestly not real familiar with but have read he will star as Steve McGarrett in the new HAWAII FIVE-OH series) seems like a nice guy and a solid actor, never investing deep rooted emotional depth here because it’s not needed. Instead he’s a nice guy trying to do the right thing.
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