The Next Best Thing
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| The Next Best Thing | |
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| Directed by | John Schlesinger |
| Produced by | Leslie Dixon Linne Radmin Tom Rosenberg |
| Written by | Tom Ropelewski |
| Starring | Madonna Rupert Everett Benjamin Bratt Lynn Redgrave |
| Cinematography | Elliot Davis |
| Editing by | Peter Honess |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | March 3, 2000 |
| Running time | 108 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English / French |
| Budget | $25,000,000 |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Next Best Thing (Working Title: One-Night-Stand) is a 2000 LGBT comedy-drama film directed by John Schlesinger starring Rupert Everett, Madonna, and Benjamin Bratt.
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[edit] Plot
The film is about two best friends—one a straight woman, Abbie (Madonna), the other a gay man, Robert (Everett)—who accidentally 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. A nasty, full-of-surprises custody battle ensues between Abbie and Robert.
[edit] Cast
- Rupert Everett - Robert Whittaker
- Madonna - Abbie Reynolds
- Benjamin Bratt - Ben Cooper
- Michael Vartan - Kevin Lasater
- Josef Sommer - Richard Whittaker
- Lynn Redgrave - Helen Whittaker
- Malcolm Stumpf - Sam
- Neil Patrick Harris - David
- Illeana Douglas - Elizabeth Ryder
- Mark Valley - Cardiologist
- Suzanne Krull - Annabel
- Stacy Edwards - Finn
- William Mesnik - Ashley
[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].
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").
Madonna's cover version of "American Pie" was the only song featured on this soundtrack to be released as a single.
[edit] Goofs
When Madonna hits Rupert in the face, he touches the other cheek. Also in the film Rupert's character mentions it is the 21st century right after the death of their friend who apparently died in the 1990s.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- 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]
- 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.
- Adam Sandler was originally cast as Robert but dropped out to do Big Daddy.
[edit] External links
- The Next Best Thing at the Internet Movie Database
- Ruppert Everett's writing on Madonna says quite a bit about making of this movie.
