Tick Tock, Tick Tock…

Is that the sound of my biological clock ticking away?

 

When I was 23 I made a pact with myself that if I was still single by the age of 30, I would have artificial insemination. Here I am at 33 and now I’ve put it off until 35! Well, not really, but I think that by the time 35 comes around if I’m still single there will be some serious panicking going on. We’re all used to hearing the experts saying that fertility sharply decreases as we reach our mid-thirties. Apparently between the ages of 30-35 the chances of getting pregnant is 15% falling to 5% at age 40. eeek. For me this is made worse by the fact that at my age, in MY family, its strange I don’t have children. My Mum had me when she was 19. My younger sister had my nephew at the age of 21. My female cousins (younger and older) all have kids and then… there is me. No pressure or anything, sheesh!

THE BACK-UP PLAN

So a couple of weeks ago when I received an invite to attend a screening of ‘The Back-Up Plan’, the new Jennifer Lopez movie, I did a bit of research and as soon as I saw the plot of the movie it struck a cord with me right away. If only they knew they’d just sent an invite to a woman who has seriously looked at those ‘insemination seminar’ ads on the tube (seriously, I have!). The plot involves Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) who has everything – great job, great friends – but still hasn’t managed to find her Mr Right (cough, cough – sound like anyone we know?). Worried about her biological clock, she decides to take matters into her own hands and gets artificially inseminated. On the very same day, things start to go wrong, as her ‘perfect plan’ gets messed up when she meets Stan (the drool-worthy Alex O’Loughlin) who she very soon realises could actually be ‘The One’. Amazingly she becomes pregnant on her first try and what we see for the rest of the film is how Zoe and Stan cope with a new relationship at the same time as trying to deal with the ups and downs (and responsibility) of the pregnancy.

I had seen quite a few bad reviews before seeing this film but that stuff usually never bothers me anyway. I always prefer to see films and come to my own conclusions, thank you very much! That said, I wasn’t expecting too much of The Back-Up Plan, but I’m surprised to say I enjoyed it. In fact, I really really liked it! Obviously it was helped by the fact that Alex O’Loughin is beyond HOT (see pic below). My gaaaaad, he was SO gorgeous it was actually hard to concentrate on the movie at times. No word of a lie!

Alex O'Loughlin - Da Hotness!

Ok, so yes it isn’t going to win an Oscar, yes it is a typical rom-com, yes it was a bit predictable and yes, everyone was ridiculously good-looking (mmmm Alex O’Loughlin) but you know what? It was sweet, full of laugh out loud moments (the water-birth scene is hilarious!), had likeable characters and I’m told some quite true pregnancy anecdotes. Me personally, I’m a total sucker for a good rom-com anyway and The Back-Up Plan just like many of my faves is based in New York (Hitch, How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, Sex And The City, Brown Sugar, Maid In Manhattan – I rest my case) and it has inspired me to add ‘Gray’s Papaya’ to my list of places to visit when I hit NY in June (you have to have seen it to get it!).

Has The Back-Up Plan changed my view on possibly relying on artifical insemination in the future? Nah, I don’t think so, I mean who in their right mind believes that guys like “Stan” just happen to jump into their taxi and change their life forever? (Cue me trying to meet guys in yellow taxis in June). However, it has made me even more determined to find my own Mr Right to settle down and have beautiful babies with, whether he looks like Alex O’Loughlin or not!

The search continues eh?

(Thanks to Sony Pictures UK and Way To Blue for a great evening out!)