The Object of My Affection is a 1998 romantic comedy and drama movie, adapted from the book of the same title by Stephen McCauley, and starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. The story concerns a pregnant New York social worker who develops romantic feelings for her gay best friend, and the complications that ensue. The film is directed by Nicholas Hytner and based on a screenplay by Wendy Wasserstein.
The movie was filmed in 1997 in various locations around New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut. [1]
Plot
Social worker Nina Borowski is a young bright woman who lives in a cozy Brooklyn apartment. Nina's older stepsister Constance and her husband Sidney are giving a party. At this party Nina meets George, a young and handsome first grade primary teacher who is also gay. Nina complains to George about her stepsister who is constantly trying to fix her up with somebody from higher society completely ignoring the fact that Nina has a boyfriend, Vince. During the conversation, Nina offers George a room in her apartment, as she has just heard from George's boyfriend Dr. Robert Joley that he is looking for somewhere to live. George, not knowing about Joley's plans, is taken aback and heartbroken, and after the party the two split up. George accepts Nina's offer and moves into her apartment.
The two soon become best friends; they watch films together and go ballroom dancing - everything is perfect until Nina announces that she is pregnant. Nina's overbearing boyfriend Vince (the baby's father) wants to marry her. His constant care drives Nina crazy. She leaves him and asks George to help her bring up her child. For some time, they live together in her apartment in Brooklyn. Everything is perfect again until Nina finds that her love for George is growing every day, plus he told her one night that he had a girlfriend in high school, leading her to believe that he might change his ways.
One afternoon, George and Nina are about to have sex when George gets a phone call from his ex-boyfriend Dr. Joley who tells him how much he has missed him and invites him away for the weekend. George is confused but agrees to go. Nina feels threatened and gets jealous. George and Dr. Joley do not get back together but George meets Paul, a young actor, and the two fall in love and have sex.
Meanwhile, Nina is staying with Constance at a vacation mansion, and is extremely moody. She has a horrible time and decides to head back home and asks George if he would return as well. She is mugged on the way back through the city, and gets a ride home from a friendly police officer named Louis. Nina and George decide to invite Paul and his elderly acting mentor, Rodney, over for Thanksgiving. Paul stays the night and has sex with George, resulting in a fallout between George and Nina.
The following day, they start arguing again at George brother's wedding, and Nina fully explains to George her feelings towards him. George, who loves Nina as his best friend, tells her that he wants to be with Paul. A few hours later Nina gives birth to a beautiful girl who she names Molly. Vince comes to visit the hospital, ecstatic, but soon after arriving leaves to fill out paperwork leaving Nina and George alone with Molly. Nina asks George when he plans to move out to which he replies that he doesn't know. She asks him to please move out of her apartment before she gets home from hospital, stating that it would hurt her too much to have him stay any longer knowing that he doesn't love her.
The end of the film takes place at George's school eight years later, in which all of the characters go to see Molly in a play that George has directed. Nina is now in a relationship with Louis, the policeman she met earlier on, and George is with Paul, both of them now happy. The film ends as Nina, George, and young Molly (who refers to George as her "Uncle George") walk together down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand, on their way to get coffee.
Cast list
Release and reception
The Object of My Affection was released in US theaters on April 17, 1998, and took in $9,725,855 on its opening weekend, coming in at #2 at the box office in 1,890 theaters, averaging $5,146 per theater. The film went on to gross $29,187,243 in the United States alone, over a span of five weekends. [2] The film continued to open in European countries throughout the fall and winter of 1998, and ultimately grossed $17,718,646 outside of the United States.
Critical reaction to the film was mixed. Roger Ebert gave the film two stars, saying "The Object of My Affection deals with some real issues and has scenes that work, but you can see the wheels of the plot turning so clearly that you doubt the characters have much freedom to act on their own." [3] Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle said the film "occasionally borders on being too clever. But that's a small quibble about a movie that gets so much right." [4]
The film currently holds a rating of 50% on the film critic site Rotten Tomatoes.com[5]
References
- ^ IMDB.com filming locations - The Object of My Affection
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=objectofmyaffection.htm Box Office Mojo
- ^ Roger Ebert, The Object of My Affection, 17 April 1998
- ^ ''Unusual Romance Told With Great `Affection' - Rudd, Aniston sparkle in gay-straight love story" Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 April 1998
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes
External links
