The Back-up Plan (2010) (PG-13)

The Back-up Plan (2010) (PG-13)

Directed by Alan Poul

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin, Eric Christian Olsen, Anthony Anderson

Daddy Says:

Sigh. I should have learned my lesson by now; I should just stay out of the room when my wife and daughter want to watch a "romantic comedy". The quotes are intentional, because I see neither romance or comedy when I watch movies in this genre. These films all seem alike to me, but that's just my opinion, yours may vary.

I give credit to Jennifer Lopez for trying her best to be charming. And Alex O'Loughlin makes for a perfectly good, um, guy, I guess. Kudos for them for trying to do the best with the material their given. But really, how many times does a couple have to "meet cute" (this time it's a taxi they both get into in a pouring rainstorm), agree to go on a date, fall in love, then a complication comes up that causes them to break up (this time it's the fact that she's gotten herself artificially inseminated on the day they met; will he still want her now that she's pregnant?), then realize what a mistake it was to break up and then they get back together again just in time for the credits to roll (usually featuring outtakes that are funnier than any of the so-called comedy during the actual film)? It's such a standard formula for today's "romantic comedies" that it bores me to tears.

But whether I'm bored or not by films such as these is irrelevant. What bothers me the most about The Back-up Plan is that this film was written by a woman (Kate Angelo, one of the writers for TV's Will & Grace which was much better than this), and yet this film is patronizing to women, in particular single mothers. Think about the large number of single mothers, and mothers-to-be, who are attending a support group. Every one of them is portrayed as either a hippie, a militant, or plain old weirdo. One of them invites the entire support group to witness her child's birth, in a kiddie swimming pool, while she makes animal noises during labor. And we're supposed to laugh at this. There's even a poop joke thrown in.

If you're headed out to the store to pick up this for the night, please, have your own back-up plan ready.

Rating for The Back-up Plan: *.

Daughter Says:

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie quite like The Back-up Plan. Most romantic comedies start out with a girl meeting a boy then they have a baby. But this movie totally did it out of order. The girl gets pregnant then meets the guy. It’s an odd way to do things, but I guess it could always happen.

Jennifer Lopez isn’t usually one of my favorite actresses. I don’t usually care for the movies she’s been in, but I guess I’ll have to make an exception for this one. I found her funny and cute in this movie. It was quite funny to see her wobble around with a pregnant tummy. Then there came her boyfriend. I found Alex O’Loughlin handsome and adorable. He just happened to choose the wrong chick to hit on. Together these two go through the new experience of being parents. It’s quite funny to watch.

Overall the story line was okay, but there were some funny parts. It kind of felt like it was set up for one joke, joke, and then set up for next joke all the way through the movie. But other than that, I found it predictable but adorable. Lopez and O’Loughlin made a cute couple on the screen that had some rough patches.

Even with all the not so great parts it was still a fun movie to watch. I think that if you are a fan of romantic comedies then this is the movie for you. It’s got everything it needs to be a favorite for that genre. Even though it’s not your average romance it just goes to show you that maybe waiting a little longer is the better choice than going to The Back-up Plan. So watch it if you dare.

Rating for The Back-up Plan: ***1/2.