Not recommended under 15; parental guidance to 15 (themes, sexual references, coarse language)
This topic contains:
Children under 15 | Not recommended due to themes, sexual references and coarse language. |
Children aged 15 | Parental guidance recommended due to themes, sexual references and coarse language. |
Children over the age of 15 | Ok for this age group. |
This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.
Name of movie: | Back-Up Plan, The |
Classification: | M |
Consumer advice lines: | Mature themes, sexual references and infrequent coarse language |
Length: | 104 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
After years of dating the wrong men all Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) can hear is her biological clock ticking away. Scared of waking up one day as an old woman without any family, she takes matters into her own hands and decides to have a baby on her own. Against the better judgement of her closest friend Mona (Michaela Watkins), Zoe visits a sperm bank and is artificially inseminated. That very day meets the man of her dreams, a farmer and cheese producer named Stan (Alex O’Loughlin).
Unsure exactly where their relationship is headed and believing that Stan is going to leave her (just like her father did after her mother died), Zoe joins a single parent’s support group. There she meets an assortment of unusual characters from a mother breastfeeding her four year old to a lesbian couple with very alternative views. As Zoe comes to terms with the fact that she is expecting twins, Stan tries to come to terms with his role in their relationship. Although they experience some serious setbacks they eventually find their way to a promising compromise at the most unexpected time.
Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.
Artificial insemination; pregnancy; loss of a parent; lesbian relationships
Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.
Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.
There is some violence and accidental harm in this movie including:
Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:
Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.
Children in this age group are also likely to be disturbed by the above mentioned scenes.
Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.
Children in this age group may also be disturbed by the above mentioned scenes and also by the idea of artificial insemination.
Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.
Children in this age group may also be disturbed by the idea of artificial insemination.
None noted.
There are some sexual references in this movie, including:
There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:
There is some use of substances in this movie, including:
There is some coarse language in this movie, including:
The Back-Up Plan is a romantic comedy that deals with serious issues. The film features believable performances but, due to its themes and content, is not suitable for younger audiences.
The main messages from this movie are:
Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:
This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as
Tip: Leave out the first A, An or The
Selecting an age will provide a list of movies with content suitable for this age group. Children may also enjoy movies selected via a lower age.
Content is age appropriate for children this age
Some content may not be appropriate for children this age. Parental guidance recommended
Content is not age appropriate for children this age
Children and Media Australia (CMA) is a registered business name of the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM).
CMA provides reviews, research and advocacy to help children thrive in a digital world.
ACCM is national, not-for-profit and reliant on community support. You can help.
ABN: 16 005 214 531