You know what you are going to get when you
go to see "The Back Up Plan" and that's what you get. It is a pleasant
romantic comedy filled with cliches. Yes, boy meets girl, boy loses
girl, boy gets girl back and they live happily ever after. What's wrong
with that?

A film like this
gets by on its casting and the chemistry between teh two leads. Jennifer Lopez has
loads of charisma, a dynamite smile and body plus  the most famous booty
in the world and all is on display here, including most of the rest of
her body. For the women there is Alex O'Loughlin, an eye candy clone of
many of the leading men in romantic comedies in today's movies. Yes
ladies you get to see him with his shirt off and a few near, but far,
almost nude scenes. The two leads do good work together but they share
little chemistry.

The two actors
working as Lopez's sidekicks are no match for the wise crackers of the
old days like jack Carson and Eve Arden who always played these roles in
the romantic comedies of yesteryear.  It is not Eric Christian and Noureen DeWulf's fault as the
screenwriter, Kate Angelo, just doesn't give them the lines.

The surprise here is the appearance of 3
older pros: Robert Klein, Tom Bosley and Linda Lavin. Tom has a small
role and hasn't aged well. I don't care for Klein and didn't find it
funny though he tries hard to get the lines across. Linda, who is
currently getting accolades on the Broadway stage, still has the 'Alice'
look and her timing, even with the bad lines, is so impeccable that it
brings a smile to your face.

The director,
Alan Poul, and the director of photography, Xavier Perez Grobet, concentrate on Jennifer in
all states of dress and undress and as she gamely does slapstick,
pratfalls and pulls off what little comedy there is.

You get what you
pay for and what you expect in The Back Up Plan--no surprises here but
nothing wrong with that.