| The Next Best Thing | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John Schlesinger |
| Written by | Tom Ropelewski |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Elliot Davis |
| Edited by | Peter Honess |
| Music by | Gabriel Yared |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million |
| Box office | $24.3 million[1] |
The Next Best Thing is a 2000 Americancomedy drama film directed byJohn Schlesinger and starringMadonna,Rupert Everett, andBenjamin Bratt. It follows a woman who has a one-night-stand with hergay best friend, which results in her giving birth to a son that the two attempt to co-parent over the ensuing years amidst a custody battle. It features supporting performances fromMichael Vartan,Josef Sommer,Lynn Redgrave,Neil Patrick Harris, andIlleana Douglas. It was Schlesinger's final feature film before his death in 2003.
The film was abox-office bomb[2] and received overwhelmingly negative reviews from film critics. The accompanyingsoundtrack album was appreciated by music critics. Its lead single, "American Pie", topped the charts in various countries, including Everett's native United Kingdom, where Madonna extended her record as thefemale artist with most number-one songs in the country.
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Two best friends – Abbie, a heterosexual woman, and Robert, a gay man – have a one night stand, which leads to a pregnancy for Abbie. They decide to co-parent the child. Five years later, Abbie falls in love with a heterosexual man and wants to move away with him and Robert's son Sam, and a nasty custody battle ensues.
Cast taken fromVariety andTurner Classic Movies listing ofThe Next Best Thing.[3][4]
The film began as an original screenplay titledThe Red Curtain byTom Ropelewski, which he intended to direct, with his wifeLeslie Dixon to produce. It was announced to be made in 1995 withRichard Dreyfuss attached to star as Robert; he dropped out, thenHelen Hunt was named as female lead to play Abbie. She was replaced by Madonna and thenRupert Everett signed on as star. Filming took place between April 23 and June 30, 1999. It later was claimed the script was rewritten extensively byRyan Murphy and Rupert Everett.[5]
Paramount Pictures distributed the film in North America while international sales were held byLakeshore International.Buena Vista International acquired distribution rights from Lakeshore in most territories.
On August 26, 2000,Billboard announced the film would debut onDVD andVHS fromParamount Home Entertainment, although spokespeople would not confirm it.[6] The release debuted at number 20 onBillboard's Top DVD Sales,[7] and peaked at number 11 on the Top Video Rentals chart.[8]The Philadelphia Inquirer gave 2 out of four stars.[9]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 19% of 94 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Story elements clash and acting falls short."[10]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 25 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[11]
Variety commented: "The Next Best Thing to a good movie is a well-intentioned one, and at the end of the day, that less-than-compelling consolation prize is about the best thing one can hand this resoundingly adequate Advanced Family Values comedy-drama".[3]Roger Ebert gave the film one star out of four, stating: "The Next Best Thing is a garage sale of gay issues, harnessed to a plot as exhausted as a junkman's horse."[12]
Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times wrote of the film: "In its early scenesThe Next Best Thing shows promise as a sophisticatedscrewball comedy about romantic love, parenthood and sexual orientation in contemporary Los Angeles. But about halfway through, the story takes a disastrous turn and heads away from comedy into the land of suds and sorrow. Any psychological credibility the movie has built up is quickly dissipated, as it turns into a stumbling, poor man'sKramer vs. Kramer."[13]
The film opened at number two at the North American box office, makingUSD$5,870,387, behindThe Whole Nine Yards. The film grossed $14,990,582 in the U.S. and $24,362,772 worldwide on a $25 million budget.[1]
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| YoungStar Award[14] | Best Young Actor in a Comedy Film | Malcolm Stumpf | Nominated |
| GLAAD Media Award[15] | Outstanding Film – Wide Release | The Next Best Thing | Nominated |
| Golden Raspberry Awards[16] | Worst Picture | The Next Best Thing | Nominated |
| Worst Screenplay | John Kohn and Robert Bentley | Nominated | |
| Worst Actress | Madonna | Won | |
| Worst Screen Combo | Madonna and Rupert Everett | Nominated | |
| Worst Director | John Schlesinger | Nominated | |
| Stinkers Bad Movie Awards[17] | Worst Actress and Musician or Athlete Who Shouldn't Be Acting | Madonna | Won |
CNN film critic,Paul Clinton, namedThe Next Best Thing one of the Top 10 worst movies of 2000.[18] In 2020,Screen Rant ranked Madonna's performance among her best movie roles.[19]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |