The Back-Up Plan/ Youth in Revolt/ Clerks II

162. The Back-Up Plan
163. Youth in Revolt
164. Clerks II


The Back-Up Plan stars Jennifer Lopez as a single woman who wants a baby. She can't wait to find the perfect man, so she settles on artificial insemination. Of course, after being inseminated, she meets cute with a guy that could be the one.

This is a pretty decent movie. As with most romantic comedies, it does tend to veer a bit onto the predictable side. I will say one thing for it though...it proved me wrong on one angle I'd predicted. I guess what I'd come up with was a bit too far-fetched, even for this one.

The cast here is pretty solid. I'm not really a big fan of Jennifer Lopez, but she's good here. She's likable without really becoming grating. In most of the other movies I've seen her in, she tends to get annoying fairly quickly. Alex O'Loughlin is solid as Stan, Lopez' love interest. Support comes from Eric Christian Olsen, Anthony Anderson, and Danneel Harris. I'd guess my only complaint with the casting comes from not really utilizing Olsen and Anderson. They're both pretty funny but the roles are too small.

Overall, The Back-Up Plan is an enjoyable flick. I wouldn't rush out to the theater to see it but it's at least worth a rental.


Youth in Revolt is based on a novel of the same name by author C.D. Payne.

The movie stars Michael Cera as Nick Twisp, a 16 year old who is wise beyond his years. Due to his intellect, he doesn't fit in well at school and has few friends. While on a camping trip, he meets Sheeni Saunders, a beautiful girl who is on par with Nick intellectually. He falls for her immediately. However, Sheeni doesn't reciprocate since Nick is a nice guy. She longs for a French bad boy. To help win her over, Nick creates the alter ego Francois Dillinger for himself. Francois pushes Nick to the edge and over it in an attempt to win Sheeni over.

I really enjoyed this one. The story is interesting and pretty damn funny. The cast is great. Cera is good in both roles. Portia Doubleday is solid as Sheeni. And she's gorgeous, to boot. Support comes from Jean Smart, Zach Galifianakis, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Fred Willard and Justin Long. Everybody's good in their roles.

Overall, Youth in Revolt was a good time. I recommend checking it out when it hits video on June 15th.


Clerks II is write-director Kevin Smith's sequel to his 1994 classic, Clerks.

Set ten-plus years after the original, Dante and Randall are still working at the Quik Stop. All that changes when a fire breaks out and destroys the store. They wind up working at Mooby's, a fast food joint. Dante is engaged and set to leave the exciting world of retail work behind him forever and move to Florida, to start a new life. This flick takes place on his last day in Jersey.

At the time of this movie's release, it quickly became my favorite of Smith's releases. Even now, some 4 years after it came out, it's still my favorite. This was Smith's second movie to contain themes that people could relate to, not just dick and fart jokes. Sure, those are still here in abundance. However, this movie explores the urge to get out and carve a new path for yourself and the trepidation that comes with it. Dante really wants to get out of Jersey but he's frightened to actually go through with it. That type of nervousness would hit anyone after years of maintaining a routine. The point here was really driven home for me when I was finally transferred to my current store. After 8 years there, the thought of going somewhere else scared the shit out of me. Even though I knew things might be better, I was still hesitant. The end of the movie has Dante doing the right thing, on his own terms for the first time in his life.

Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson reprise their roles as Dante and Randall. Both are good. O'Halloran has a tendency to make Dante a bit too whiny at times, but Anderson's constant skewering of him balances it out nicely. Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith also return as Jay and Silent Bob, the now-clean stoners from Smith's other Askewniverse movies. Rosario Dawson and Trevor Fehrman are both great here. This one's got cameos from Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, and comedienne Wanda Sykes.

Overall, Clerks II is highly recommended.