Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) runs a pet shop in New York City and sees herself as an independent woman. She is also desperate to have a baby. So, after a long and unsuccessful search for the right man, she has herself artificially inseminated with sperm from an anonymous donor. On the same day of this life-changing event, Zoe gets into a cab and has her positive mood spoiled by Stan (Alex O'Loughlin) who leaps into cab from the other side. She encounters him again and discovers that he sells cheese at the Farmer's market, raises goats, and hopes one day to open a shop selling only local foods.
Zoe finds herself falling in love with this handsome, likeable guy. But when she shares the news with the single mom support group she has joined, they are less than thrilled. She solicits advice from her nana (Linda Lavin), her best friend (Michaela Watkins), and two employees (Eric Christian Olsen and Noureen Dewulf) at her pet shop.
The Back-Up Plan is directed by Alan Poul from a screenplay by Kate Angelo. This romantic comedy probes the troubles which come to the fore in Zoe and Stan's relationship due to their old emotional baggage. Zoe was deserted by her father at an early age and she cannot bring herself to trust that a man will not abandon her, despite what he says or does. Stan's first marriage to a promiscuous woman has made him wary of beautiful women and their loyalty, and he's never ever thought about being a parent. Through a series of incidents and disagreements (some very funny and a few that are serious), this couple tries to work out their differences before the baby arrives.
Jennifer Lopez puts in an appealing performance as Zoe and Alex O'Loughlin impresses as a resilient and creative lover. Two of the cutest presences in the movie are a pregnancy pillow and Zoe's French bulldog who uses a cart to hold up his dysfunctional back legs.
Special features on the DVD include deleted dcenes; a making-of featurette; and an interview with Jennifer Lopez.
