THE BACK-UP PLAN

RYAN: After a few weeks without a true romantic comedy or chick flick, The Back-Up Plan is ushering in the return of one Jennifer Lopez.

CAROLINE: Will it be her big comeback, or will it fizzle like her latest single Louboutins?

RYAN: I think J. Lo can and will do what she wants when she wants. And I must say, I liked this movie overall.

CAROLINE: It’s not the best rom com we’ve seen, nor is it the worst. I’d probably put it in the mediocre-to-weak category. Having said that, the guy who plays her love interest is H to the O to the T.

RYAN: Yes, in all caps please. I loved him on TV’s Moonlight where he played a vampire and had much longer hair. This movie did have some problems that kept me from really loving it; namely that it’s cheesy and unrealistic.

CAROLINE: It has the usual implausible moments that all movies of this genre have, which I can sort of accept. But then some scenes were so over-the-top and others were unnecessarily graphic. I did not need multiple poop jokes and gross gynecological references. And if I see another movie with a dog used for cheap laughs, I swear to God!

RYAN: Yeah, I can do without the dog’s puzzled looks to the camera. It’s just silly. This movie clearly requires a lot of suspension of disbelief.

CAROLINE: Which isn’t to say there aren’t some enjoyable moments. I did laugh out loud, but only a handful of times. LBH, I mainly enjoyed this because I’m a 30-something woman and I could relate to a lot of the scenarios. But I don’t think it’s a great movie.

RYAN: It’s an American romantic comedy, so we all know how it’s going to turn out in the end. But it has enough obstacles along the way to keep you interested, and I thought the casting was really good. J. Lo is so cute and fun in this. I feel like the storyline is basically like Sex and the City except following only one character.

CAROLINE: I have to disagree with you on the casting. J. Lo just really can’t act; not comedically anyway. And the chick who plays her best friend wasn’t all that. She used to be on SNL for about five minutes.

RYAN: Honey, I love J. Lo, and I think she’s a decent actress.

CAROLINE: I just don’t think she can pull off the funny lines. This isn’t a good genre for her.

RYAN: Hello – what about The Wedding Planner? You love that movie.

CAROLINE: I do, but I think she’s a little long in the tooth for roles like this. However, she looks gorgeous in this movie. Her make-up, as always, is flawless and her body is kickin’.

RYAN: The ending of this movie is terrible though. It practically ruined the whole thing for me. When I’m watching a movie, I’m thinking, “How much do I like this? Am I going to recommend it to people?” And with this movie, I was really liking it the whole way through… until the end. I don’t know if I’d recommend it anymore because the last scene sucked so much.

CAROLINE: Yeah, J. Lo’s acting was baaaaaad there. She couldn’t pull off the joke. But there a few very sweet romantic moments in the movie, which I liked. Other than that, I wasn’t wowed.

— BOTTOM LINE —

RYAN: I’m glad to see Jennifer Lopez back on the big screen in a movie like this. I’m a fan of her so-so music and acting. And she’s exquisite to look at. I loved the lead guy and thought she had great chemistry with him. It’s 75% a good movie, 25% not. I’d recommend it for people who like romantic comedies.

CAROLINE: I enjoyed it to a minimal extent. It’s certainly not horrible, and it has a few cute scenes, but it’s nothing great. At best, it’s cute and silly, and at worst, it’s beyond over-the-top and unrealistic. I think it’s the kind of movie that’s going to get lost in the shuffle.

— RATING —