The Back-up Plan

  • Review Date: April 12, 2010
  • PG-13
  • Genre: Comedy
  • 2010
 Review

Common Sense Media says

J.Lo romcom bursts with frank pregnancy, sex talk.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that The Back-up Plan is a romantic comedy that
deals frankly with sex and pregnancy, even though it contains very
little actual nudity and the story itself is fairly chaste. There is one
notable scene of a natural birth in which a naked, pregnant woman
squats in an inflatable swimming pool; in one brief shot (played for
comedy), her entire body is visible through the water. The movie also
contains strong language, including one "f--k" and at least half-a-dozen
uses of "s--t." Ultimately, the gruesome details of childbirth and
looming parenthood may be unappealing and perhaps even terrifying to
teens, but some parents may find something to laugh about.

  • The movie's ultimate point is that couples should learn to communicate
    and trust one another before jumping to conclusions and assuming
    anything. The lead characters must overcome many obstacles -- often
    related to the complexity of having children -- before they achieve
    this. Unfortunately, the movie can also be somewhat cynical and has the
    side effect of making childbirth and parenthood look unappealing.
  • The characters in the movie are fairly flimsy, with narrow behavior
    patterns. Stan is annoying, but once he decides to stay with the
    pregnant Zoe, he sticks to his guns throughout, no matter how tough it
    gets for him.
  • There are some arguments and some shouting, and a few moments of
    slapstick, but nothing major.
  • There is very frank talk about sex and pregnancy, including the names of
    body parts and some unfortunate little details (such as uncontrollable
    bowel movements during a birth). The main character, Zoe, is
    artificially inseminated through a sperm donor, and we see and hear
    about this process. There's a scene of a natural birth (played for
    laughs) that includes a shot of a pregnant woman squatting naked in an
    inflatable pool; everything is visible through the water. Otherwise, the
    main couple (Zoe and Stan) flirts, kisses, and has sex, though nothing
    is shown. Zoe has a noisy orgasm, and Stan appears shirtless in one
    scene. In another scene, Zoe checks out her pregnant body in the mirror,
    but ducks out of sight a second later.
  • We hear strong, but not constant language, including one "f---k" and at
    least half-a-dozen uses of "s--t." Also in earshot: "Oh my God," "Jesus" (as an exclamation), "vagina,"
    "pee," "sperm," "ass," "stupid," "penis," "damn," "hell," "bitch,"
    "douchebag."
  • The couple likes to eat at Gray's Papaya, a real hot dog restaurant in
    New York. But otherwise, not an issue.
  • Zoe and Stan drink some wine during a date. Zoe's best friend Mona
    guzzles a glass of champagne in one scene, for comic effect. No one gets
    drunk. Zoe does not drink while pregnant.

What's the story?

New York pet store owner Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) wants to have a
baby but can't find "Mr. Right." Worried that time is passing her by,
she goes to her back-up plan: artificial insemination. Later that same
day, she meets Stan (Alex O'Loughlin), a cheese maker,
who turns out to be "the one." By the time Zoe discovers she's pregnant
and Stan hears the news, they are already in love. Stan must learn to
deal with the shock of suddenly becoming a father, while Zoe must learn
to trust that Stan isn't going to run away.


Is it any good?

 

Directed by Alan Poul, a TV veteran making his feature debut, THE
BACK-UP PLAN drags out every lazy romantic comedy cliché in the book.
The lovers withhold information from each other, and then get mad and
run away when the truth comes out. (In one scene, the heroine tells the
truth out loud, but a cut reveals that she's only speaking to herself in
a mirror.) The characters are paper-thin and their journey together is
entirely routine and totally predictable.

But the movie also has
the unfortunate side effect of making both pregnancy and impending
parenthood look unappealing and even terrifying. For a movie with such a
chaste setup, it has a very oddly cynical view of such things, not to
mention a large collection of foul language. Teens are unlikely to find much appeal in the storyline, though there's enough juvenile humor to mildly entertain those who dare. Parents are more likely to find some laughs peppered throughout the otherwise tired routine. If this was the "back up," the filmmakers
probably should have stuck to the original plan.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about how the movie portrays pregnancy. Teens: What opinions did this movie leave you with about pregnancy and parenthood? Was this a realistic scenario?

  • Do you think this movie reinforces or challenges any stereotypes about male-female relationships? How do romantic comedies, in general, portray intimate relationships?

  • Teens: Could you relate to any of the experiences or ideas about taking care of kids that came up in the movie? How did this movie portray kids and the practice of caring for
    them?


This review was written by Jeffrey M. Anderson
Adult
September 17, 2010
 
Predictable
A rather bland chick-flick, with little deviation from the "standard formula", The Back Up Plan leaves some to be desired. Varying from over-dramatic despair (if I can't have a man then I'm going to have a baby), to the hollywood version of pregnancy (eating tons of unhealthy food in bed while gaining no weight aside from the 'baby bump'), Jennifer Lopez seems to be trying to send the message that it is okay for young women to put up a front of independence while being a 'damzel in distress' behind closed doors. However, this movie does send the message that life's challenges can be overcome if you put the effort in.

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Adult
May 31, 2010
 
The childbirth scene was disturbing!

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Parent of 3 and 6 year old
September 11, 2010
 
Movie was fine
The birthing scene was in no way explicit. You could not see any nakedness, just her lower back, you don't see any head coming out or anything like that. I think people find it disturbing is because the woman is screaming and making unpleasant noises, but any woman who has been through natural labor knows thats kinda how it is in real life, but it was meant to be humorous. The story was cute with a happy ending, but the orgasm scene was a little uncomfortable to watch, so if you have teens who are unfamiliar with things, it may be a bit awkward to explain. But overall it was a cute movie.

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Kid, 13 years old
June 24, 2010
 
(:
Very cute movie! there is some mature things that some parents wouldn't want there kids to see.

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Parent of 10 and 13 year old
September 8, 2010
 
Perfectly fine
I have no major concerns with this movie, although the birth scene is a bit over-the-top and ridiculous, which, by the way, the woman is not totally naked, she's only naked from the waist down, which is under water and obviously distorted by the water. As for it possibly making birthing and parenting repulsive to teens, if a parent believes they are mature enough to watch romantic comedies (which most have sexual themes worse than this) then the teen is mature enough to learn about the facts of life. Childbirth is painful and not pretty. Get over it. I like how it portrays the reality of women who feel like their biological clock is ticking and "Mr. Right" is nowhere to be found, instead of making it seem like Mr. Right is perfect and under your nose the whole time. Overall it is a cute movie that shows how the right man can step up to the plate even when the children aren't biologically his.

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Teen, 16 years old
September 8, 2010
 
Great movie, not for the young ones
Great movie, Jennifer Lopez was a very good actress. I believe in my opinion that it was a really cute movie and that young adults and adults should watch it, especially women, sort of a chick flick..still awesome though, very cute:)

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Parent of 17 year old
April 23, 2010
 
Jenny from the Block
I have a radical new idea. Why not get married, THEN get pregnant! Boy, wouldn't THAT be exciting!

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Parent of 12 year old
August 7, 2010
 
all the funny parts were in the previews...
smutty humor - not appropriate for kids and adults who have more class will see right through the attempt at shock-value humor - you may laugh as a knee-jerk reaction but otherwise not a feel good / genuienly funny movie :(

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Teen, 15 years old
January 22, 2011
 
to wach free info
loved it loved it no but about 1. go to watch full movies onlinef ree . net but theer all together 2.look at the page for Search Movies 3.type the back-up plan 4.click on the back-up plane 5.scroll down click watch online now 6.you can watch the move now 7.for part 2 of the move copy and paste this code( Note: This code is Case Sensitive. You should copy the code, and then paste it to be sure it is correct!) DSP5OFF75 this code can be used for all moves on the web sit ther are more moves u can watch her free to so hope u love this site like i do

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Adult
November 21, 2010
 
I loved this movie!!!!!!!! I Laughed throughout the whole thing. There were some inapropriate scenes like the barn scene they make out hard and wake up with SOME NOT NAKED clothes on clear they had gone all the way and she was pregnet during the scene. And there is some strong language it isnt constant just strong. with ONE F--k. But otherwises hilarious

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This review was written by Jeffrey M. Anderson
Studio:CBS Films
Director:Alan Poul
Cast:Alex O'Loughlin, Jennifer Lopez, Linda Lavin
Genre:Comedy
Run time:104 minutes
Theatrical release date:April 23, 2010
DVD release date:August 24, 2010
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:sexual content including references, some crude material and language

This review was written by Jeffrey M. Anderson
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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