Director Alan Poul (Six Feet Under, Big Love) brings out some very charming performances from Lopez and newcomer Alex O'Loughlin who have a wonderful chemistry together as Zoe and Stan, who meet by chance one rainy day in a New York City cab. Of course there is a bit of tension between them, which ignites things off-the-bat. After browsing through a street market one day with her best friend Mona (Michaela Watkins), Zoe encounters Stan at his Cheese Stand once again and although she is not sold completely on him, the romance ensues quickly after a series of "coincidental" run-ins with one another. One thing though - Zoe neglects to tell Stan that just before she met him she had grown so tired of not being able to find "The One" that she decided to start a family on her own with a Sperm Donor. I don't see the issue here at all! She is happy with everything else in her life, after abandoning a cushy corporate job to open a Pet Store.
The Back-Up Plan is sweet. Yes, it depicts completely unrealistic ideals of how people really fall in love, painting a world where people have no other important priorities like uhh, work for one, instead spending all their time and mental budgets on being engaged helplessly in love.
