J.Lo romcom bursts with frank pregnancy, sex talk.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Language
some
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."
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.
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.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
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.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
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.
Positive Role Models
very little
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.
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. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Great movie! Jennifer Lopez did an outstanding job! Kuddos to her! But on the other hand here come the negitives. Jennifer is distressed because she cant find a man she can settle down with so she gets a sperm doner so she can get pregnant. The process is not shown but when she walks out of the building she walks pretty funny. There is also a scene where jennifer and the guy she met have sex. First they make out, then they fall on the table and the man lowers himself down onto Jennifer and is moving on Jennifers vagina in circles and Jennifers panties and dress are clearly off and she makes noises that indicate she is injoying him in between her vigina and that she likes his passoniate kisses. Then they get up and she throws up in his sink as a side affect of being pregnant. It is also shows Jennifer naked looking at her self in the mirror and before her boyfriend comes in she hides. (nothing is shown) Then jennifer dresses in a sexy night gown and is seducing her boyfriend into sex while she is pregnant. Then it also shows her boyfriend half naked on a tractor and jennifer crashes into a tree.There is also a distressing birth scene with one of the moms from the club, and she is in a plastic pool on her knees and screaming in a wierd mannor. It shows her babys head comming out of her vigina and she is looking down at it. Its kinda disturbing. And towards the end she throws up indicating that shes pregnant again. Great movie other than the sex parts!
It was a very well done movie~ I laughed so many times during it~ The barn seen was a little inapropriate and Jennifer Lopez makes some noises when they were in there that arent very apropriate. The birth seen was very inapropriate, I think the movie could have done with out that scene... The whole head thing was really disturbing. But other than that it was great! The end I never would have expected it~ :)
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.
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.
Talk to Your Kids 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?
MPAA explanation:
sexual content including references, some crude material and language
Last updated:
June 2, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
