Plot

A woman conceives twins through artificial insemination, then meets the man of her dreams on the very same day.

Zoe has always had difficulty letting anyone into her life; she has a habit of pushing people away whenever they get close. Now she wants to have a baby but has no man in her life, so she decides to be artificially inseminated. Shortly after having the procedure, she meets a guy called Stan and feels a spark. When she tells him about her pregnancy she thinks he will bail, but he stays.—rcs0411@yahoo.com

In New York, former executive and current pet-shop owner Zoe has no boyfriend and few friends since she has difficulties letting people into her life. She lost her parents as a child and her only living relative, her grandmother, lives in a nursing home. Feeling lonely, Zoe decides to have a baby by artificial insemination and joins a single-mothers' support group. When she leaves the clinic, very happy with the successful procedure, she meets cheese-manufacturer and college student Stan and they immediately feel attracted to each other. They date and Zoe believes she has found her Prince Charming. Then the doctor informs her that she's pregnant. How will she tell Stan, and how will he react?—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Back-up Plan is a comedy that explores dating, love, marriage and family in reverse. After years of dating, Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) has decided waiting for the right one is taking too long. Determined to become a mother, she commits to a plan, makes an appointment and decides to go it alone. That same day, Zoe meets Stan (Alex OLoughlin) a man with real possibilities. Trying to nurture a budding relationship and hide the early signs of pregnancy becomes a comedy of errors for Zoe and creates confusing signals for Stan. When Zoe nervously reveals the reason for her unpredictable behavior, Stan commits fully and says hes in. Never before has love seen a courtship where a wild night of sex involves three in a bed Stan, Zoe and the ever-present massive pregnancy pillow. Or, where date night consists of being the focal point at a near-strangers water birth which does for kiddie pools what Jaws did for swimming in the ocean. The real pregnancy test comes when both of them realize they really don't know each other outside of hormonal chaos and birth preparations. With the nine month clock ticking, both begin to experience cold feet. Anyone can fall in love, get married and have a baby but doing it backwards in hyper-drive could be proof positive that they were made for each other.

In New York City, Zoe runs a pet shop along with Clive and Daphne. She used to have a corporate job involving the Internet that she was good at, but she was not happy. After her dog Nuts nearly died, Zoe discovered it came from a puppy mill and she wanted to use her money to make sure people had pets which came from good sources. Nuts has wheels instead of back legs.

Because she wants a baby while she still can but can't find a man she wants a permanent relationship with, Zoe is being artificially inseminated. In a flashback as she waits for the procedure, her friend Mona is trying to talk Zoe out of having children, because Mona has four kids she says she can't stand. In another flashback she is considering having Clive be the donor but decides against that. The donor is unknown. The first attempt might not work.

As Zoe leaves the doctor's office, it is raining but she is really happy. She hails a cab but Stan gets in, thinking it was his first. They have a disagreement over whose cab it is, and eventually both of them leave.

Zoe and Mona visit a farmer's market and try muffins. They see Stan and Louie selling fancy goat cheese. Stan thinks Zoe followed him there but she insists she is just there for the muffins. If there was a chance Zoe and Stan would get together, it appears to be gone when a pretty girl asks if she will see him later and he says she will.

Zoe attends a book signing for Cesar Millan and Stan is there. They get in an argument because Stan is once again convinced Zoe is following him. They agree to go out once, and Zoe takes him to an ethnic fast food place.

Zoe joins the single mothers' support group after the doctor recommends this. Carol is the group leader and is quirky.

In several scenes, Zoe and Mona are at a gym and they talk about Stan.

Zoe and Stan end up going out on a second date. This time, while it is pizza and the location is a community garden, Stan has made it look elegant with wine and candles. Then he spills wine on Zoe's nice dress and the candles set the table on fire. Despite the date being disastrous, both of them are laughing about it.

Zoe goes home to find out Nuts has thrown up. In the mess on the floor is the plus sign from a pregnancy test. Zoe goes back to Dr. Harris and confirms the good news.

Stan invites Zoe to the farm his parents left him outside the city when they retired to Phoenix. They have sex in the building where the cheese is stored. Then Zoe confesses she is pregnant and Stan gets upset that Zoe has been withholding the information from him. Zoe reminds him he was with a girl the second time they met. Stan finally admits he is going back to college, since his education was interrupted when his parents left him the farm, and while the girl is his ex, they are just classmates. The next morning Zoe leaves.

Stan still cares for Zoe and they get back together. Stan accompanies Zoe to future doctor's appointments. At one appointment, the ultrasound reveals twins. Stan and Zoe go to a park and talk, since they have to decide whether they can handle this. Stan watches children playing at the playground and the father of three of the children accuses him of being a pervert. Stan explains he is a father as well, but that the mother is pregnant. Stan and the man become friends and Stan learns about the good and bad parts of parenting. The man's son walks up carrying something disgusting. The man and Stan visit again later.

Zoe visits her Nana, who raised her after Zoe lost her mother and her father took off because he couldn't handle his wife's illness. After 22 years with 93-year-old boyfriend Albert, who needs oxygen and a walker, Nana is quite active despite her age, but they still haven't gotten married.

Stan is ready to be a father, and he spends a lot of time at Zoe's place, but as Zoe buys baby stuff, a stroller for twins proves to be a struggle. When Stan takes the stroller to a baby store, an employee sees his difficulty and offers to help make the stroller easier to use.

When Zoe starts talking about Stan in her group, she is reminded the group is for single mothers and there will have to be a vote. Zoe leaves disappointed that she can't go back. But later while shopping with Nana, she meets Carol and another group member, who tell her the vote was unanimous that she should stay.

Zoe is upset with her body and she shows Stan some photos where she still looks good. Included in the photos are one where she is a little girl with a much younger Nana. And the last photo of Zoe's mother, in a hospital bed, shows the mother was still pretty and smiling, but she wanted no more photos taken of her because that's not how she wanted to be remembered.

Stan has trouble with an exam and his ex is concerned about him. While she and Stan are talking, Zoe shows up. The ex is surprised to learn Stan and Zoe are so serious, but Stan says the babies are not his. This upsets Zoe because she interprets this as meaning Stan doesn't want children. In fact, Stan didn't want children at one time. Zoe decides to break up.

The improved stroller is delivered and Zoe realizes Stan would not have gone to so much trouble if he didn't want children.

Albert proposes and Zoe gets to walk Nana down the aisle. At the reception, bride and groom dance as a woman using a walker sings. Zoe is constantly on her phone trying to reach Stan, who happens to be at the farmer's market. Stan is selling a cheese he named for Zoe, but he gets angry when describing it. When Zoe joins the conga line, her water breaks.

Albert and Nana deliver Zoe to the hospital in their limo, but they stop at the farmer's market, causing chaos. Stan is there. Zoe explains she understands Stan is willing to commit to being a father, and Stan shows her the lucky penny he kept from when they first met. They get back together, and Stan helps as Zoe gives birth at the hospital. One of the twins gets the name Penny.

At a grand opening for Stan's new store in the city, Stan proposes to Zoe. After the event, Zoe throws up, meaning she could be pregnant again.