The Back-Up Plan review

The Back-Up Plan (12A, 104 mins)
Director: Alan Poul

★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Jennifer Lopez here takes on her first major role in five years and serves to do little more than demonstrate that we didn’t really miss her. The pitch of this woeful comedy is that she becomes pregnant through artificial insemination on the same day that she meets the guy of her dreams (Alex O'Loughlin). It’s a movie that adheres only to the most tired of rom-com elements like the less attractive best friend, the kooky jobs (she owns a pet store, he makes cheese) and the music to let us when something romantic or comedic is supposed to be happening, and neglects everything that makes the genre greats of yore so successful – the interesting characters and situations, charismatic actors and a modicum of interest in whether they end up together through well developed obstacles and believable conflict. By only ever going for the most obvious setups and punchlines, The Back-Up Plan once again proves that the romantic comedy is as dead as Dillinger.