"THE
BACK-UP PLAN"(2010)...B+ ... I will admit to a weakness
for romantic comedies, also known as rom-coms, which is to say that I will generally give them a pass if I find myself reasonably
entertained for the two hours that I am in the theater. All that I ask is that the leads have genuine chemistry and that there
be well cast secondary characters who add their own special background flavor and texture to the story.
"The
Backup Plan" succeeds because of its casting, but also because the story is pleasant enough, even with a premise that is just
about as far out there as a story can be without being ludicrously silly. "Professional girl," in this case Zoe (Jennifer
Lopez), owns a flower shop, and she has given up on finding "Mr. Right." More likely she isn't interested in finding him,
so Zoe goes to a fertility clinic before her biological clock ticks to its close. Of course she stumbles into Mr. Right on
the way out of the clinic. Literally. She jumps in one door of a cab just as Stan (Alex O'Loughlin) jumps in the other.
You
can't be any more convenient than this. Or more ill-timed. I would have laughed at the premise (and no doubt some will) until
I remember the number of couples that I have read about over the years who have experienced a natural pregnancy right after
they have given up and adopted a child. Don't ask me why this happens, because that's life.
Zoe
has no interest in Stan, so naturally he is immediately smitten with her. Therefore, the second premise is that Zoe is unable
to commit to a relationship. She will leap at every comment or action that offers a scintilla of evidence that Stan is either
going to run off or not be a hundred percenter when it comes to viewing Zoe's child as his own.
The
rest of this movie plays off the yin and the yang of her alternating moments of emotional acceptance and rejection. I will
admit that there are more than a few moments in this film that are uneven or fall flat. Unfortunately, most comedies are like
this today with their "spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks" approach to jokes and scenes.
Otherwise,
the two leads are just fine and Jennifer Lopez looks smashing and more petite than what I remember of her. How she (or any
other woman) walks in those stiletto heels is beyond me. While this movie has not received the best reviews, it is by no means
another failing vehicle for Ms. Lopez. Also receiving my compliments are Anthony Anderson as a playground dad, and the casting
of Tom Bosley and Linda Lavin as Zoe's (much too) elderly parents. It is a delight to see them on the silver screen once again.
106 minutes and rated PG-13.
