THE BACK-UP PLAN 2.5/4
CBS Films, Rated PG-13
A conventional reproductive romance that unconventionally revolves around high-tech immaculate conception, The Back-up Plan pits irrepressible maternal instincts against mutual relationship phobia. Though Jennifer Lopez is clearly the celebrity centerpiece of the story, she dilutes that diva attitude to allow the rest of the cast to substantially share the screen with her.
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Lopez is Zoe, a down-in-the-dumps Manhattan pet shop owner who has soured on men but longs for motherhood before it’s too late. A lonely career woman with lots of experience when it comes to puppy love— including her housemate Nutsy, a disabled, two-legged canine on wheels—Zoe lacks affection of the human kind in her life. So she opts for artificial insemination, selecting a frozen sperm sample boasting red hair and freckles.
Jennifer Lopez stars as Zoe in The Back-Up Plan.
But on the same day following the procedure, she meets—wouldn’t you know it—a prospective man of her dreams. OK, Stan (Alex O’Loughlin) is a cheese farmer by day, with a booth at the local outdoor market, and a guy still doing homework by night, plugging away at school after hours. But Stan is hopelessly smitten, even if he’s stuck with a first trimester package deal from the start. Though as the reality of pending fatherhood approaches, Stan’s hots for Zoe increasingly succumb to cold feet.
While the story progressively loses steam on its way to the finish line, somewhat in step with a pregnancy’s sluggish pace as it inches towards the due date, there are numerous episodic surprises, including an affectionate if ditzy single mom support group and a candid look at just how awful those side effects of maternity can be, artificial and otherwise.
Lopez is up to it every step of the way, even if, during one uncontrollable pregnancy pig-out episode, she’s got to wipe beef stew off her face with a slice of bread when there are no napkins.
