The Next Best Thing

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The Next Best Thing
Directed by John Schlesinger
Produced by Leslie Dixon
Linne Radmin
Tom Rosenberg
Marcus Viscidi
Richard S. Wright
- Associate Producer -
Meredith Zamsky
- Executive Producer -
Gary Lucchesi
Lewis Manilow
Ted Tannebaum
Written by Tom Ropelewski
Starring Rupert Everett
Madonna
Benjamin Bratt
Neil Patrick Harris
Cinematography Elliot Davis
Editing by Peter Honess
Distributed by - USA -
Paramount Pictures
- non-USA -
Touchstone Pictures
Release date(s) March 3, 2000
Running time 108 min.
Country USA
Language English / French
Budget $25,000,000 (estimated)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Next Best Thing is a 2000 comedy-drama film directed by John Schlesinger starring Rupert Everett, Madonna, and Benjamin Bratt.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The film is about two best friends—one a straight woman, Abbie (Madonna), the other a gay man, Robert (Everett)—who decide to have a child together. Five years later, Abbie falls in love with a straight man (Bratt) and wants to move away with him and Robert's little boy, Sam, and a nasty, full-of-surprises custody battle ensues.

[edit] Reception

The film was a critical and commercial disappointment. Madonna won a Razzie award for worst actress, and the film was nomimated for other Razzies including Worst Director, Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay. Critic Roger Ebert gave the film 1 Star, stating: "The Next Best Thing is a garage sale of gay issues, harnessed to a plot as exhausted as a junkman's horse." [1]. Although considered a disappointment; the film managed to earn back its $25 million budget with a U.S. gross of $15 million and more than $9 million worldwide.

It was nominated as Outstanding Film at the 2001 GLAAD Media Awards; losing out to Billy Elliot.

[edit] Soundtrack

The Next Best Thing: Music from the Motion Picture is a soundtrack including two songs by singer Madonna (American Pie and Time Stood Still).

[edit] Trivia

  • 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 famous director Cecil B. DeMille's old house. [2]
  • There is no mention in the promotion or trailer to the film that Rupert Everett´s character is gay.
  • 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 Schleshinger´s final movie before his death in 2003.

[edit] External link

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