Themes: Custody Battles, Single Parents, Mothers and Sons
Main Cast: Rupert Everett, Madonna, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Vartan, Josef Sommer
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 108 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Best buddies Abbie (Madonna), a heterosexual yoga instructor, and Robert (Rupert Everett), a gay landscaper, cope with failed relationships, the approach of middle age, and the AIDS-related death of a mutual friend by sticking together as a "family of choice." Drunk one night, they have sex, and when Abbie turns up pregnant, they decide to move in together and raise the child as decidedly unconventional co-parents. Flash forward several years and Abbie begins dating Ben (Benjamin Bratt), an investment banker. The new relationship causes tension between Abbie and Robert that ultimately leads to betrayal, courtroom confrontation, and a sudden denouement. Everett, a sometime writer of trashy comic novels such as Hello Darling, Are You Working?, reportedly supplied the film's concept and even additional dialogue, although Tom Ropelewski is the credited screenwriter. This was pop diva Madonna's first film role since the hoopla of Evita; she supplied a highly edited hit cover of Don McLean's "American Pie" and one other song for the soundtrack, which was released on her own Maverick imprint. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
David S. Lazan - Art Director, Meredith Zamsky - Associate Producer, Mali Finn - Casting, Marcus Viscidi - Co-producer, Richard S. Wright - Co-producer, Ruth Myers - Costume Designer, Peter Kohn - First Assistant Director, John Schlesinger - Director, Peter Honess - Editor, Gary Lucchesi - Executive Producer, Ted Tannenbaum - Executive Producer, Lewis Manilow - Executive Producer, Gabriel Yared - Composer (Music Score), Happy Walters - Musical Direction/Supervision, Gary Jones - Musical Direction/Supervision, Howard Cummings - Production Designer, Elliot Davis - Cinematographer, Howard Cummings - Producer, Leslie Dixon - Producer, Tom Rosenberg - Producer, Linne Radmin - Producer, Jan K. Bergstrom - Set Designer, Noelle King - Set Designer, Barbara Mesney - Set Designer, Douglas Axtell - Sound/Sound Designer, Terry Rodman - Sound Editor, Tom Ropelewski - Screenwriter
Two best friends — one a heterosexual woman, Abbie (Madonna), the other a gay man, Robert (Everett) — who have a child together after a drunken one-night stand. Six years later, Abbie falls in love with another man (Bratt) and wants to move away with him and Robert's little boy, Sam. A nasty, full-of-surprises custody battle ensues between Abbie and Robert.
The movie was a critical and commercial flop. Madonna won a Razzie award for worst actress, and the film was nominated for other Razzies including Worst Director, Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay. Critic Roger Ebert gave the movie one star, stating: "The Next Best Thing is a garage sale of gay issues, harnessed to a plot as exhausted as a junkman's horse."[2]
Originally, Abbie was written to be a swimming instructor. However, Madonna, herself a yoga fanatic, requested that Abbie become a yoga instructor.
Rupert Everett's house in the film is actually Cecil B. DeMille's old house. [3]
Both Madonna and Rupert Everett were not happy at the studio's promotion of the film commenting that they gave us "the same poster as Runaway Bride", a film released by the same studio the previous year.
Promotion for the film by Buena Vista in Europe and non-North American countries was changed to a still from the movie including a close up of Madonna and Rupert Everett's faces.
The Next Best Thing is John Schlesinger's final movie before his death in 2003.
