With her biological clock quickly ticking away and no Prince Charming in sight, the main character in The Back-Up Plan thinks being a single mom is her only option. But the very day she undergoes artificial insemination, guess who arrives on the scene? Although this romantic comedy co-starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O’Loughlin suffers from predictability and includes a couple of crude scenes, it’s also quite heartwarming and amusing.   

While exploring the ups and downs of pregnancy, The Back-Up Plan -- directed skillfully by Alan Poul from Kate Angelo’s revealing script -- offers a touching romance between two people who think true love has passed them by. Zoe (Lopez) owns a pet store and harbors deep-seated fear of abandonment; Stan (O’Loughlin), who’s inherited a farm and makes special cheeses, looks more self-confident than he really is. Zoe, of course, desperately wants to be a mother; Stan doesn’t even know if he likes kids. When they first meet, these two appear to dislike each other intensely. But there’s no hiding the sexual chemistry between them, and it’s not long before they hook up. The problem? Zoe finds out she’s preggers -- and has to tell Stan. How will he take the news? What will he do when he finds out she's expecting twins? Will she lose him? If not, what kind of a father will he be?

Most of the comedy here relates to Zoe’s pregnancy. Happily, Lopez (Shall We Dance) is very funny as her character shows mood swings, eats ravenously, tries to fit into sophisticated clothes and so forth. But the biggest laughs come when Melissa McCarthy (TV’s Samantha Who?) gets camera time. McCarthy plays the dedicated leader of a single mom support group -- and she’s absolutely hilarious!     

O’Loughlin (Whiteout) also shows his comic potential in this romcom. His dumfounded reactions to advice from a helpful playground dad (Anthony Anderson) come across as quite believable and humorous. I’m glad to see another appealing leading man on the big screen. After all, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman can’t be everywhere.    

Unfortunately, my inner Church Lady complained a lot while watching The Back-Up Plan, especially during the gross single-mom birthing sequence. “I didn’t need to see that,” says O’Loughlin’s dazed Stan. “Neither did I,” Church Lady insisted -- and I have to agree with both of them.

Still, because this engaging movie emphasizes such important values as loyalty, trust and true love, I’m giving it dispensation for its few flaws.  

(Released by CBS Films and rated “PG-13” for sexual content including references, some crude material and language.)  

For more information about The Back-Up Plan, go to the Internet Movie Data Base or Rotten Tomatoes website.