By: debbie lynn elias
As with life itself, there are some films in and of themselves that need to have a back-up plan. Such is the case with THE BACK-UP PLAN. At first blush, the story idea for THE BACK-UP PLAN is disarming and charming. 30-something woman; successful; biological clock ticking; desperate to have a baby; no husband; no boyfriend; only good looking intelligent single males are gay; no potential hook-up in sight; solution to problem – have baby and raise baby alone; impregnate by raise artificial insemination; perfectly handsome and suitable potential male partner then appears on-scene after artificial insemination. The set-up for flat out funny and flawless comedy screams laughter louder than a woman in labor, however, the end result had me squirming with impatience and frustration much like weeks of false labor starts and stops.
Zoe seems to have it all. With brains and beauty, she has left the corporate world of IT and its trappings, opting for a simpler, calmer way of life . Appearing to be environmentally correct and living somewhat “green”, Zoe’s priorities have clearly shifted, making her more aware of nature, beauty, serenity and life. An avid animal lover, she cashed out her 401K and purchased a local pet shop just so she could put an end to puppy mills and abuse with at least one shop. Her best friend and companion is her little dog Nutsy, himself a victim of genetic imperfections from a puppy mill, the very reason that spawned her lifestyle conversion. And while she seems to have it all, there is something she is missing – a perfect family with perfect husband and perfect baby.
Always one to plan ahead and plan out every detail, once Zoe realized that she wasn’t getting any younger and the pickings were slim in the husband department, not to mention her trepidation with men given her father’s abandonment of her as a baby, she made the decision to have at least part of her perfect life – a baby. Who needs a husband? Lots of single woman raise children. Why not her? Determined and dead-set with her decision, Zoe heads off to the local sperm bank for her first frozen sperm insemination.
But, as often happens, Fate decides it wants a hand in Zoe’s plan and as Zoe leaves the doctor’s office, she runs smack into one of the dreamiest guys she has ever seen. Arrogant and belligerent, this Adonis has the audacity to want the very cab she has hopped into. Mind you, he has hopped into the other side. With Zoe’s anger rising and a rainstorm erupting outside, Zoe loses the cab but can’t get the thought of this guy out of her head.
Fuming over this mere man taking her cab, the Fates get even crueler as the two keep bumping into each other – at her pet shop, at the local Farmers Market, for coffee. And despite her somewhat feigned anger, Zoe soon find herself taking more than an interest in this handsome stranger we now learn is Stan. Gorgeous and single, Stan is divorced which explains his reluctance to commitment. Also a dreamer and loving a simple life, Stan runs his family’s goat cheese farm by day, selling its wares at the Farmer’s Market while taking economics classes at night so he can prepare himself for his life’s dream – to open his own little bistro stocked with and serving local, sustainable farm goods. (I hear “No Impact Man”, Colin Beavan, cheering!).
With fires simmering between them, Zoe and Stan begin to cautiously embark on a journey that could be exactly what each has been seeking for completion in their life. But, there’s a little wrinkle. Turns out Zoe is pregnant thanks to the frozen sperm! And she’s not just pregnant – she’s pregnant with twins! Do Zoe and Stan continue their relationship with a bulging baby belly between them? Does Zoe revert to original back-up plan of being a single mom? Does Stan run for the hills? And what kind of havoc does pregnancy wreck on Zoe’s idyllic life and perfect body?
Jennifer Lopez does her damnedest to make Zoe the most likeable and entertaining character on the planet, and I must say, I haven’t seen comedic pregnancy shenanigans like this since Lucille Ball on “I Love Lucy”. Marking her return to film following the birth of her own twins, according to Lopez, “So many things in this movie are art imitating life for me because I had just gone through the pregnancy. It was really fresh in my mind. And Kate [Angelo], when she wrote the script, she had just gone through a pregnancy as well.” And while Lopez is energetic and exuberant throughout the film, there are times her performance feels comedically forced lacking a natural flow and continuity. I also detected uncertainty in all that on-screen energy. Does she be strong? Cutesy? Ridiculous? Moping and Miserable? And then those goofy teenage puppy love traits (whether written into the script of added by J-Lo, I don’t know) – the giggliness, the hair twirling, finger biting trying to look cutesy like a little girl. If this uncertainty in Lopez was an attempt to showcase pregnant mood swings, it didn’t fly as there was only one mention of mood swings in the film and that being in the third trimester when “the partner should just go with the flow.” And if these little traits were added by Lopez, they didn’t work. Her strongest work was early in the film when fighting over the cab, being caught in the rain, looking like a drowned rat, expressing frustration and anger. It felt real and you really connect with her at those points.
And then there’s Alex O’Loughlin. Ladies, I don’t know what it is about the guys from Down Under, but I am so glad they are here. O’Loughlin is a breath of fresh air. Handsome, charming, charismatic. His emotions are heartfelt and grounded in reality, with a natural ebb and flow, be they comedy or the pure emotion of falling in love and being in a relationship. He “clicks” with whomever he is with on screen, be they female or male. Not only is the character of Stan extremely well written, but well acted with O’Loughlin bringing an easy affability and likeability to Stan that makes any woman want to swoon.
As for the supporting cast, we’ve got some of the best. Linda Lavin is a welcome joy as Zoe’s Nana. Lavin always brings a nice edge to whatever character she plays. Never dumbs down. Plays strong with integrity and grace and does that beautifully here as Nana. Tom Bosley (the legendary “Mr. C”) garners his own laughs as Nana’s love interest, Arthur. Likewise, Robert Klein as Zoe’s ob/gyn and Jennifer Elise Cox (the big screen Jan Brady) as a goofy baby store sales clerk are both a kick in the ass. And be on the lookout for some real funny moments from Michaela Watkins who shines as Zoe’s best friend Mona, and Anthony Anderson who goes toe-to-toe with O’Loughlin’s Stan in some priceless playground moments.
The real casting coup though is the little Boston Terrier who plays Nutsy the dog. For Lopez, “[Nutsy] is cool because there are three different dogs. One’s really good at faces and one’s good at walking in the chair and one’s good at going like this with his head [shaking her head] and fighting with you. So, they are all very talented and it’s fun.”
Described by Lopez as “a romantic comedy. [THE BACK-UP PLAN] definitely deals with modern issues, which I love. That’s what I really liked about it when I read it. It had a very modern voice. It seemed very up-to-date and I think that’s very important for romantic comedies, that they do deal with issues, that it doesn’t feel like a story from 20 years ago which some romantic comedies can be like.” THE BACK-UP PLAN is written by Kate Angelo, who actually met Lopez at a post-birth aerobics class. And while it may be “a modern romantic comedy”, the script goes too over the top giving a sense of being overdone as if someone scraped the last bite of turkey and stuffing from the plate, shoved it down their gullet and are now sitting back with a stuffed gut hanging over the belt. Throwing in every conceivable aspect of the facts and foibles of pregnancy, birthing, single mother support groups, problems with relationships, sub-plots with relationships, sustainable living, going green, etc., Angelo gives us everything but the kitchen sink. Although obviously designed to extend the Zoe and Stan story through a 9 month pregnancy, the overall result is too much chaos and a failure to flesh out some plot points that would give a bit more depth to the film, such as sustainable living or giving additional time to Stan’s juggling work, school and Zoe.
Quizzical is the relationship between Zoe and Nutsy. On the one hand, you go awww, she saved this little dog, she’s caring for this little dog, yet she is not that overly nice or interested in the dog, but for the fact she takes him in the car with her. When he begs for some food, she always says no. When Zoe walks with Stan, poor little Nutsy is left to his own devices to make it up the hill behind them. These are not the actions of a loving pet mother nor are they indication that this woman should be having a child.
Obviously where Angelo really pushes for laughs is with the single women support group which while funny at times, turns into beyond ridiculum and grossness. Where the script does succeed tenfold, however, is with the relationship between Nana and Arthur , a beautiful touch that is somewhat analogous to the young love of Zoe and Stan. Other continuing laugh out loud funny moments involve Zoe’s treatment of Stan during the pregnancy which prompted me to ask Lopez if she was as horrible to her own husband during pregnancy as Zoe was to Stan. “You think Zoe was horrible? I thought she was pretty normal. I had a lovely pregnancy .Of course there are moments when you feel like in the movie that it’s just so much going on with your body and so much going on hormonally that you don’t have time to deal with anything but that. I think it was really true to life the way we portrayed it in the movie.” Men, you all have my sympathies. Not to be missed are the scenes with Zoe’s “pregnancy pillow” which are beyond hysterical.
Directed by television veteran Alan Poul, despite the storyline overkill and some failed attempts to true laughter, the film flows at a steady easy pace. A big plus is the work of cinematographer Xavier Grobet. Beautifully done. Lighting and lensing really enhances the story and Alex Hammond’s production design – particularly the outdoor scenes with the Farmers Market and at the Little Goat Farm. And the rain scenes – simply beautiful.
The versatile Karen Patch excels with the costuming, giving Lopez some truly timeless classic outfits that showcase her at every turn.
And while yes, while you will laugh and yes, while you will cry at THE BACK-UP PLAN, you most definitely will find yourself thinking of your own back-up plan after seeing THE BACK-UP PLAN.
Zoe – Jennifer Lopez
Stan – Alex O’Loughlin
Nana – Linda Lavin
Arthur – Tom Bosley
Directed by Alan Poul. Written by Kate Angelo.
