The Back-up Plan

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A desperate, baby-obsessed woman (Jennifer Lopez), gets artificially inseminated, and then immediately meets the love of her life (Alex O'Loughlin).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin, Michaela Watkins, Anthony Anderson, Linda Lavin, Eric Christian Olsen, Noureen DeWulf, Tom Bosley, Danneel Harris, Robert Klein, Melissa McCarthy, Maribeth Monroe, Jennifer Elise Cox

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! This movie could only possibly be enjoyed at an all-girls' slumber party, where everyone is getting drunk on their own individual pint of ice cream. And even then, the ice cream is the only part you'll enjoy.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you're Jennifer Lopez, this movie will make you laugh all the way to the bank.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It makes me cry when I see yet another movie depicting women as crazy, pathetic losers, with illogical mood-swings, who can only think about how they're going to get a baby before they're too old. If I'm supposed to be the audience for this movie, maybe you should try getting on my good side, once in a while, instead of insulting my intelligence.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The users on imdb are already suggesting it for the Razzies, so what I was gonna say turns out not to be original in the slightest.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: If I ever though Jennifer Lopez was a good actress in the tabloids, this movie is more proof that reality TV stars can't necessarily act. I have rarely seen so much grimacing from a so-called professional actress.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: You know they got a first-time feature director because everyone else passed on the script. But ultimately, Alan Poul's biggest mistake was being the guy desperate enough to say yes.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I never found out what these two people saw in each other besides their mutual good looks-- which is not the reason given for their deep, instant love, but what else am I left to assume? At the same time, if it weren't for Alex O'Loughlin's hotness, there would be nothing differentiating his approach to J-Lo from stalking. Not only would that be creepy in the real world, but then, the first date he plans is so over-the-top romantic, that you can't help but think that he's up to no good. If they weren't in a movie together, he would just be some random guy she met on the street, who harassed her until she agreed to go out with him, and then took her to a secluded park, where no one could hear her scream-- yikes!

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-back-up-plan/38957/trailers

Back To Top

Four Christmases

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When their Christmas day flight to Fiji gets canceled, Brad and Kate (Vince Vaughn & Reese Witherspoon) are forced to try to make it to all four of their divorced parents' Christmas celebrations, running from his dad's, to her mom's, to his mom's, to her dad's.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, Mary Steenburgen, Jon Favreau, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, Kristin Chenoweth, True Bella, Patrick Van Horn, Katy, Mixon, Brian Baumgartner, Cedric Yarbrough, Peter Billingsley, Skyler Gisondo

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Another fun, innocuous Christmas movie that'll scratch your itch but won't go down in Christmas Classic History.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Vince Vaughn does his shtick but the character is too "normal" for him to take it as far as he needs to go to be at his best.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It starts down a promising emotional path of love, family and babies, but never quite gets to the heart of the matter.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: No, but when they remake it 20 years from now, and play out all the missed opportunities and unreached potential this premise contains, it could get an award for best remake.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: This is one of my favorite performances by Jon Favreau, who is finally getting a chance to show us his full range, now that he's too busy being an A-list director to do much acting over and above the bit character parts he plays in his buddy's movies. I also enjoyed seeing Donkey Kong Champion Steve Wiebe, of King of Kong fame, sitting linelessly in the family rooms, posing as Kristen Chenoweth's husband. And if you don't know what I'm talking about here, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Making the jump from a micro-budget documentary (King of Kong: Pocketful of Quarters) to an $80million feature narrative with an all-star cast would be a daunting task for anyone. Seth Gordon pulls it off, but I think with his next film, he will be more relaxed and have a chance to take a few more exploratory risks with the camera blocking. That said, his editing background really pays off in the action-comedy sequences, where he manages to convey a lot of actions and related emotions in only a few short seconds.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The concept of how you don't fully know someone until you've spent time with their family is an interesting arena, but the conflicts that arise are resolved too quickly and easily, never giving them a chance to build on each other and compile, which would have created a more palpable tension, and in turn, would have caused a resolution to feel more satisfactory.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/four-christmases/25133/trailers

Back To Top