The Back-Up Plan (2010)

The Back-Up Plan (2010): Dir: Alan Poul / Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin, Michaela Watkins, Eric Christian Olsen, Danneel Harris: A perfect back-up plan is to avoid this film altogether and watch Date Night instead. It regards forced change as Jennifer Lopez becomes weary of her dating life and decides to have the sperm donated and inserted. Then comes the lamest romantic encounter in history as Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin end up in the same cab where they spat, then she ends up at Farmers Market where he sells cheese, then he stalks her at her pet store. They fall in love too and its enough to make a person upchuck in their shorts. Is there anything in this pitiful garbage that hasn't been done in every other romantic bullshit? Director Alan Poul doesn't seem to have any handle on the humour or the relationships because neither blend successfully here. Lopez has played many stupid roles in her career but this one ranks as one of her most nit-witted characters. She manages to crash her car into a tree because she gets starry eyed. Her back-up plan should be to seek therapy after playing someone this unsympathetic. O'Loughlin starts out as this guy who takes nothing serious to being this suddenly responsible guy when he realizes that Lopez is pregnant with twins. It is like a personality switch midway. Supporting roles are characters who act like total morons and show up when the plot conveniently needs them. Locations bear some invention particularly the cheese place but in the end the best back-up plan for this light weight mess is to abort it with lighter fluid and a match. Score: 2 / 10

I am not sure how they managed to make this movie so bad. They seemed to try pretty hard to do that. When I heard the story I thought it would be hilarious. A woman gets artificial insemination and meets the love of her life the same day. This could have been very funny, but it was just the opposite of it.The thing is that it makes no sense. I don't see what happened with those to that after a few dates the guy without much questioning had no problems to raise somebody elses kids. Sure he was all shocked but didn't even consider the option of getting out. And then they have this lame fight based on miscommunication? Sure, there is a conflict needed in such a movie but there were so many opportunities to have a believable one with such a story.I have nothing against JLo and have seen her do some good acting before but in this movie she is just irritating. Bad acting and a very annoying voice. My god, how did this guy fall for her, especially since he didn't see her awesome "old ass". The guy's character is absolutely boring. There is nothing about him that makes him interesting, making cheese isn't enough, especially since there seems to be too much cheese.The single mom's group was just a sad disappointment. Yes, I get it they were going for slapstick, but Zoe freaking out at that birth just made her more dislikable again.. Sure, it was insanity and more gross than funny, but her overreaction to it was too much.The only good thing about this movie besides the idea is the adorable dog, he is the reason I give an extra point as he was some cute fellow. but he just made Zoe's character even more unlikable as I never saw her being nice to the little fellow, I remember her yelling at him though. The pug needed more screen time for sure.I feel bad for Tom Bosley that this was his last movie. Such a good and well known actor going away in this disaster..

"The back up plan" is a story about an independent woman, Zoe, who decides to have a baby by her own. But as soon as she walks out of the doctor's office, she runs into Stan. She will soon fall for him, but she is also having twins on her own. What will she do? The story seemed very interesting at first, however it gets on a different direction as the movie develops. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes boring and sometimes romantic, even though the couple's chemistry is not very good. Especially some parts made me feel like they were trying too hard to make it comical and entertaining, that they had overdone it. The ending, finally, is predictable, and confusing, with the last scene creating new questions to the audience. So 4 out of 10, because I expected more from it.

The most difficult thing about story telling is the ending, especially so in a movie script. Now I am not going to reveal anything about the ending of this film except to say the last sixty seconds or so is very cleverly worked, and I am not speaking of the crazy credit outtakes.So what about the beginning and middle? The plot setting and cast introduction is well worked with the main leads giving energetic and enjoyable performances throughout. I am not going to agree with those who may feel the single mum group is a mistake since the film is a comedy, and there is plenty of comedy within the group even if it may offend some. But I do feel as if the idea of the group was a filler which may have gotten out of control - no real back-up plan perhaps.The film overall is entertaining and although the idea of "insemination" is not as fully explored as it could have been because of where and how the film begins, I feel it does what it says on the tin and ends very well indeed.So I liked it, and whilst it is not a must see movie it is certainly worth watching. Six out of ten and a star for Ms Lopez for doing such wonderful things with some stew and half a loaf of bread.