The Back Up Plan (CBS Films)
Just Too Cute
Jennifer Lopez returns to the world of romantic comedies in the new film The Back Up Plan. She is more beautiful than ever and still has a subtle approach to the nuances of her comedic role, but the film is full of too cute happenings and clichd dialogue. It satisfies the audience but never goes beyond average entertainment.
In the film Zoe (Lopez) is in her late thirties and unmarried. She had hoped to meet Mr. Right by this point in her life but has not had much luck. Still she has the desire for a family so she goes the single mother route. She gets artificially inseminated and it takes. Shortly thereafter she meets Stan (Alex OLoughlin) who is Mr. Right.
The rest of the film has him coping with her impending motherhood and her fearing that he will leave her like her father did his family. Along the way we have the requisite cuteness of the two having a fight with a water hose, plus a line of scenes dealing with her handling her increasing girth. This is all fun but not funny.
One of the best parts of the film lies in the supporting cast. Linda Lavin, who was TVs Alice, plays Zoes Nana. Tom Bosley (did you know he was still alive/) plays Nanas fianc. Yes these two are alive and well and add a little something extra to the film.
Lopez is beautifully photographed and makes Zoe someone you could know and like. OLoughlin is a perfect partner for her in the looks department and handles the comedy with ease. This is one of his rare ventures into comedy and it is a good fit.
There is a scene in the film regarding a woman (Maribeth Monroe) giving birth to a baby in a tub of water that could have been left out. Supposedly it is meant to be funny but it passes any comedic element early on and veers into the area of being disturbing. It is certainly not in keeping with the overall tone of the film.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity, sexual situations and that scene.
It is nice to have Lopez back in a romantic comedy and for the most part it is an acceptable vehicle for her. OLoughlin was a wise choice as her leading man and the two of them make a compatible couple. You just wish the script was not as cutesy and clichd as it is. This makes the film just an okay one rather than a thoroughly entertaining one like some of her past movies have been.
The Back Up Plan needed a back up script in which all the clichs had been eliminated and all the cuteness had been toned down a notch or two.
I scored The Back Up Plan a fall back 5 out of 10.
