Capsule reviews of ‘The Back-up Plan,’ ‘Losers’ and other films this week

Capsule reviews: ‘The Back-up Plan’ and others

Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

“The Back-up Plan” — This gets sitcommy early and often, and just for good measure, throws in old TV favorites Tom Bosley and Linda Lavin in brief, one-note roles. But regardless of their presence, or that of the appealing (and frequently shirtless) Alex O’Loughlin in his first leading-man role, this is a vehicle for Jennifer Lopez, who is front and center and looking flawless at all times. The first time we see her character, Zoe, she’s at the doctor’s office with her feet in the stirrups being artificially inseminated, wearing false eyelashes and perfect lip gloss. In case we couldn’t possibly imagine what she’s thinking, the script from Kate Angelo (a former sitcom writer) offers this helpful voiceover: “Oh, God, I hope this works. I’ve wanted this for so long.” Yeah, it’s like that. Director Alan Poul (who also has a TV background) hits every obvious note, complete with pratfalls, pregnancy cliches and cheesy pop-music cues that signal the characters’ emotions in painfully literal fashion. He also cuts away to Zoe’s adorable Boston terrier for cheap reaction shots so frequently, it could be a drinking game. All these devices are in service of a plot that’s pretty thin. Zoe is prepared to have a baby on her own, only to meet and fall for the hunky Stan (O’Loughlin). Since they get together pretty early, the rest of the movie consists of contrived flare-ups that threaten to keep them apart. PG-13 for sexual content including references, some crude material and language. 104 min. One and a half stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

“Oceans” — Fish that look like rocks — or scarves, or a jeweled brooch, or anything but fish — are among the fascinating underwater creatures that inhabit “Oceans.” This stunningly beautiful documentary is the second in a series from the new Disneynature label, which gave us “Earth” exactly one year ago on Earth Day. Whereas that film followed wildlife across the globe, “Oceans” takes a plunge deep into its waters, with jaw-dropping results. Directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud provide a truly immersive experience, without the three-dimensional IMAX effects of the similar — and similarly awe-inspiring — “Under the Sea 3D” from 2009. Having spent seven years working on “Oceans,” including four years gathering footage, they’ve created countless how’d-they-get-that? shots. The narration from Pierce Brosnan can get a bit cutesy at times, but that’s probably to make “Oceans” as palatable as possible for the young viewers to whom much of the film is intended. Like its recent predecessors, “Oceans” also contains a a message about the importance of protecting our underwater expanses and the beings that call them home from pollution and climate change: familiar but, unfortunately, still necessary words to hear. G. 84 min. Three and a half stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

“The Secret in Their Eyes” — Murder and love, melodrama and laughter intertwine in this long and winding Argentine film, the surprise winner of the foreign-language Oscar this year. To say that writer-director Juan Jose Campanella’s movie is all over the place would be unfair, and inaccurate — he shows a sure hand technically, especially in a lengthy, single-take shot that will make you hold your breath. But even that scene, accomplished as it is, seems to come out of nowhere. The performances are what frequently hold the film together when it seems at loose ends, namely from stars Ricardo Darin, Soledad Villamil and Guillermo Francella. “The Secret in Their Eyes” skips back and forth in time between an unresolved 1974 rape and murder and 1999, when a retired criminal court investigator still finds himself haunted by the crime. Darin’s Benjamin Esposito is writing a novel about the case, which inspires him to visit Irene (Villamil), who’s now a judge but was then a young, brilliant colleague for whom he felt a love that also went unresolved. So “The Secret in Their Eyes is a murder mystery — and since Campanella has directed episodes of “Law & Order SVU,” he handles that aspect of the story efficiently — but it’s also a romance, one that gets downright cringe-inducing at times. Still, the commanding Darin has an easy rapport with Villamil, but his interaction with Francella is even more intriguing. A longtime comic actor, Francella plays Benjamin’s long-ago partner, a quick-witted drunk who looks nerdy and buttoned-down but is actually a total mess. R for a rape scene, violent images, some graphic nudity and language. 129 min. Three stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

“The Losers” — Deadly only in its dullness, this coma-inducing, comic-book-adapted action flick aims to serve as a placeholder until “Iron Man 2″ arrives with the summer’s heavy artillery. That “The Losers” and its ragtag band of Special Forces operatives fail to achieve even that modest goal speaks to the filmmakers’ utter lack of imagination as well as the busy smugness with which they offer their smorgasbord of nothingness. The comic-book source material originated as a “man-crush love letter” to “Lethal Weapon” screenwriter Shane Black. But instead of producing a heady homage to slick, ’80s action movies or a winking salute to Sam Peckinpah and his wild bunch of losers or even a faithful adaptation of a serviceable comic, the filmmakers have watered down the material to the point of irrelevance. PG-13 for scenes of intense action and violence, a scene of sensuality, and language. 98 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

— Glenn Whipp, for The Associated Press.