Once the fireworks begin, there's no stopping the romance between them, until little telltale signs begin to creep in that Zoe just may have gotten pregnant on the first try. Plus, nothing spells disaster like your crippled pooch swallowing your pregnancy test before you can read it. Once the cat is out of the bag about Zoe's pregnancy, the couple has some shaky times and Alex feels a little ambushed. But he's in love with Zoe and is prepared to make her children (yes, twins!) his own. Stan gets friendly advice from a playground dad (Anthony Anderson) who shares with him that having kids isn't all sunshine and roses, while Zoe gets her advice from her loving grandmother (Linda Lavin), who raised her to be independent but still won't marry her fiance' of some 20 years (Tom Bosley).
The Back-up Plan is all about trying to make romance work when stuff gets complicated by a little thing like twins. In the beginning of the movie, Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin seem to have an air of awkwardness about them. It's almost as if Lopez and O'Loughlin were experiencing the same difficulties finding their stride as a "couple" as their characters were, but when they get things worked out, they have some nice chemistry together as an on-screen couple.
As far as special features, things are pretty lean with only a few deleted scenes and an interview with J-Lo. While the film wasn't laugh-out-loud finny, it was a charming romantic comedy about the ups and downs of relationships and pregnancy. The acting was fairly believable and I especially enjoyed the character of Zoe's dog, who walked around with his back legs in a sort of crippled doggy chariot. He was a cute character. Linda Lavin and Tom Bosley are a precious onscreen couple and it was nice to see the two of them acting again. Overall, if you are looking for a good, rainy-night romantic comedy, this would make a nice rental.
