Sony Pictures | 2010 | 104 mins. | Rated PG-13
Jennifer Lopez returns to the screen in The Back-up Plan, a typical romantic comedy with a twist. The normal order of things is reversed; she is artificially inseminated before the couple meets—otherwise it’s still boy-meets-girl, and the only issue between them — because it’s more or less a love match right away — is a question of how the boy feels about the girl already being pregnant. Other than a couple of mildly suggest8ve scenes, The Backup Plan harkens back to a Doris Day/Rock Hudson film, except it’s not nearly as funny.
Zoe (Lopez), a Manhattan pet-store proprietor—I just can’t picture J-Lo ever owning a pet store–meets Stan (Alex O’Loughlin), a bad-boy cheesemaker, in a rainy-day taxi dispute right after she’s been inseminated by wisecracking OB/GYN Robert Klein. Scripted by TV veteran Kate Angelo, Zoe and Stan’s first meeting is clearly supposed to be like something out of a screwball comedy. Unfortunately, it comes off awkwardly, and it’s clear from the start that the two have limited chemistry.
When Stan announces that he’s sticking around even after learning that Zoe’s pregnant with twins who were fathered by a red-headed stranger, it seems bizarre rather than noble and romantic, as if maybe he’s the one with compulsive baby-lust. Certainly, if they had even an ounce of chemistry together, the story might work. However, believing he will stick around, marry Zoe and parent the twins is a very difficult pill to swallow. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t help thinking that that The Back-Up Plan had made a transition from romantic comedy to fantasy.
Now, back in those years when Jennifer Lopez was everywhere and a genuine box office draw, say 1998-2002, she was known for her ample derriere. Talk about embarrassing, but they actually bring it up during a scene in the film. At about the two-thirds mark in their predictable on-again, off-again romance, Zoe tells Stan: “I miss my old ass. It was like my new ass, but way hotter.” They discuss this subject for another minute or two, while Zoe clutches an underwater photo of her in a bathing suit, taken “by her college boyfriend,” in which she’s visible only from the neck down.
I’m not sure what that scene is all about. Perhaps it’s supposed to be funny, or Lopez is just giving props to the body part that helped make her famous. Whatever the reason, the scene is very uncomfortable and feels like it came out of nowhere. If she thought people would find it funny to watch her mourn her ass of yesteryear that was a complete misfire. At nearly forty-one, Lopez just seems miscast here. She’s bronzed and in good shape, but someone decided to put her in a modified Farrah Fawcett ‘do’ from the seventies that just doesn’t quite work. I realize she’s likely struggling to find lead roles at this point, but this wasn’t a good one for her.
If you’re looking for reasons to watch The Backup Plan, there are some funny bits by Michaela Watkins as Zoe’s borderline-intolerable best friend, Anthony Anderson as a playground dad dispensing dire words of wisdom to Stan, and Maribeth Monroe as a member of Zoe’s support group who gives birth in a kiddie wading pool, hooting and grunting like a warthog possessed.
The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) looks to have been hit with a slight DNR wash, just to smooth out the image some. It doesn’t distract, with expressive facial detail (and toes, for the first few moments of the movie) intact, permitting the viewer to study the actors and urban locations. The cinematographic glow is maintained well, with welcoming skintones and dutiful shadow detail, keeping the textures of fabrics and dense hairstyles in view. Colors are jubilant and supportive.
The 5.1 DTS-HD sound mix is a nicely balanced affair, with dialogue exchanges kept in frontal play for optimal clarity, blended well with sitcom scoring cues that flutter around the mix. There’s little low-end activity outside of a few soundtrack cues and slapstick sequences, but the majority of the mix stays comfortably soft to encourage a romantic mood. Farmer’s market, pet store, and rural atmospherics bring surround activity to life, with most of the pictue’s environmental changes smoothly integrated into the track, bringing welcome life to the BD.
English and English SDH subtitles are included.
Minimal special features are included.
“Deleted Scenes” (5:12) covers a new sperm donation candidate for Zoe, extends a visit to the baby doctor, and spends some time with the needy, supporting characters.
“Belly Laughs: Making ‘The Back-up Plan'” (11:36) is a typical BTS featurette, with cast and crew interviews (conducted on-set) exploring the genesis of the script and the merriment of production.
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