The Next Best Thing (2000)

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writer (WGA):

Tom Ropelewski (written by)

Release Date:

3 March 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

He was smart, handsome and single. When her biological clock was running out, he was... the next best thing.

Plot:

Abbie, tired of failed relationships, has a one-night-stand with her gay friend; they agree to raise the resulting baby together.

Plot Keywords:

Gay Friend | Best Friend | Custody Battle | AIDS | Divorce Attorney

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Madonna	...	Abbie Reynolds
Rupert Everett	...	Robert Whittaker
Benjamin Bratt	...	Ben Cooper
Illeana Douglas	...	Elizabeth Ryder
Michael Vartan	...	Kevin Lasater
Josef Sommer	...	Richard Whittaker
Malcolm Stumpf	...	Sam
Lynn Redgrave	...	Helen Whittaker
Neil Patrick Harris	...	David
Mark Valley	...	Cardiologist
Suzanne Krull	...	Annabel
Stacy Edwards	...	Finn
John Carroll Lynch	...	Abbie's Lawyer
Fran Bennett	...	Judge Tracey Bennett
Ricki Lopez	...	Angel

Also Known As:

The Red Curtain (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content, partial nudity and language.

Runtime:

108 min | Germany:99 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Lakeshore Entertainment

Trivia:

The house that Rupert Everett stays at is actually Cecil B. DeMille's old house.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the end credits, Illeana Douglas is named "Elizabeth Ryder", but her character's name plate on the desk visible in the movie reads "Caroline Ryder".

Quotes:

Robert: What? Eight martinis and you're stuffed?
Abbie: Yep.
Robert: Well, it doesn't take much to crack your egg, does it?

Movie Connections:

Features "The Heckle and Jeckle Show" (1956)

Soundtrack:

Don't Make Me Love You (Till I'm Ready)

She still can't act

I had high hopes for this -- really, I did. I thought it would be a sweet, charming and tugging-at-the-heartstrings comedy. But I was TOO hopeful.

Story in one sentence: two best friends (one gay, one straight) end up in bed together, have a son, raise him together, everything hunky-dory until she wants to marry someone else and the little family gets screwed up.

Let's talk about what's the worst: the script, hands down. Everything is so spliced in or cut out it's just terrible. The transitions are so choppy, that we barely have enough time to understand the undeveloped characters -- they're just thrown at us and next thing you know, it's years later. It's unrealistic and it's too fictional to really understand or get into. Madonna is suffering from never finding Mr. Right, Rupert is the gay buddy that "somewhat" turns into the bad guy and poor Benjamin is just caught in the middle. We don't know WHO to hate in this movie -- that's pretty much the hard part. Everyone is in the bad guy role, they just don't fit it due to the fact they all need sympathy.

As for Madonna, yes, it's obvious she took lessons. The problem would be that she is way too conscious of the camera. Her husband commented once that she needs to let the director direct -- and I think that's a huge problem with her performance. She is just "too beautiful" in this movie. I mean, she's supposed to be sobbing her eyes out and she looks up and is all glistening and pretty. Sorry, but in order for me to believe her I want to see it on her face that she's worried -- you know, red eyes, puffy cheeks, smeared makeup -- the works. Madonna had too much creative control in this and it's obvious. Her expressions don't fit her tone of voice either; she seems to blink consciously and doesn't have much expression -- but hey, close your eyes and listen to her and you'll see that she's making progress.

All in all, a good storyline put to a bad script and bad performances. Anyone who tells you this is a great movie is obviously a star-struck Madonna fan.