The Next Best Thing

Rating:
Summary: The Next Best Thing - What do the critics know anyway?
Review: I went to the cinema earlier today to see this film. To be honest I wasn't expecting to enjoy it after the slating that it has been given by the critics, and if it wasn't for the fact that my boyfriend is a Madonna fan then we wouldn't have bothered.

HOW WRONG COULD I BE.....It was excellent, the storyline was brilliant, really felt for Rupert Everetts character. I was crying halfway through and my boyfriend believe it or not was tearful at the end. Infact he was so moved by it that he has gone tonight to watch it again and we have already ordered the DVD from AMAZON.

My advice - ignore the critics, watch it for yourself and thoroughly enjoy it. We actually came up with theory that if Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts had played Madonna's part then it would have had rave reviews. Ok so Madonna may not be the best actress in the world but that aside the film was not the next best thing. It was the best thing!

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and interesting film
Review: I don't quite understand why this film has received such negative reviews. I went to see it, with the fear of God having been injected into me. However, what I discovered was a very enjoyable and thought-provoking film about problems faced in the world today. Madonna and Rupert Everett did a good job, although, I have to ask - what is with Madonna's accent? Anyway, a good film which I'll buy..

Rating:
Summary: Give Madonna a break
Review: Okay, so she's no Meryl Streep but Madonna is not a bad actress! This film proves it. She does a fine job as does the rest of the cast. But, she isn't the centerpiece of the movie, so I really don't see why all the slings and arrows from critics are about her acting. The movie does a good job provoking thought about the issues it explores: what is the definition of a "family" in our society today, should a convention family be the mold we all follow, should a gay man have as much parental rights as a straight man etc. There's a good blend of comedy and drama. The movie is no "Titanic" but it's still good entertainment, a nice diversion. Fun in the beginning, sad towards the climax, touching by the end. Immitates real life quite a bit. It should fare much better on video.

Rating:
Summary: The Madonna next best thing
Review: Madonna is a real movie star and she proved that on this movie. She plays the role of a single mother( Abby )and in every scene you could see that she enjoyed not been the super female icon role and just been a mother who wants the best for her son. The movie is fantastic . The first part is very funny and step by step took the drama with it and the release end is one memorable and simply.

You have to wacth it if you don't and buy it if you haven't.

Rating:
Summary: I liked it, it was funny, My mom cry when she saw it
Review: Madonna's acting was great in this movie. I hated Madonna (But in real life I love her) on how she took San (Their Love Child) away from Robert (Evertt) and treated him. Madonna (Abby) plays a yoga teacher whom has prolbem in the love area of her life. One night with a good cry with Robert, too many drinks, lead to a night of passion. The movie moves on and she meets this guy (Can't remember his name) and they fall in love. Then she decide to run away with her new lover to New York, but Robert get pissed and sued Abby. She later tell him that Sam is not his child that Sam real dad is the last guy she was with (That was when I got pissed at Madonna) and then......I should not say anymore, I don't want to spoil it for you. But it was and is a great movie. I will buy it when it comes out.

Rating:
Summary: THE NEXT BEST THING is AWESOME!
Review: MADONNA did a Great job! THE NEXT BEST THING is a GREAT movie! Madonna plays a women named Abby who happens to get pregnant by her best friend Robert (Rupert Everett) who is gay. Now after a few to many drinks the two end up having sex, and you guessed it Abby gets pregnant. Now Abby and Robert have agreed to live together and raise there son Sam together, but there is a unexpected turn of events when Abby meets a Guy named Ben (Benjamin Bratt) and the two just seem to hit it off. Robert suddenly finds himself in a horrible position when Abby and Ben tell him they are going to get married, move out of state and take Sam with them. Now Robert then does what he has to do to keep his son from moving, however he discovers a Horriblre hidden truth along the way. Now i will not say any more other than this movie is one of the Best MADONNA movies ever! MADONNA does a amazing acting job despite what some of the critics said, but what do they know anyway! It's us the MOVIE GOERS that ultimatly know a GOOD movie when we see one. THE NEXT BEST THING is a GREAT MOVIE with many laughs and many tears! I highly recommend this Movie!

Rating:
Summary: ENTERTAINING AND EDUCATIONAL
Review: This may not be the next best thing, but it is entertaining and deals with issues that most of us are faced with on a daily basis. It shows that gay people are no different to any one else and deep down they want stability, a home and the opportunity to raise children. The other issue dealt with involves using children as a tool when a relationship / marriage hits the rocks. All to often it is the children that suffer and this film brings the message across that no matter who or what you are or what happens in a relationship, think of the childrens needs above all else, after all the children are innocent pawns. So, wether you are gay or straight, this movie is highly recommended. Rupert Everett is a great performer of which Madonna is not, but somehow they manage to pull this flawed movie through.

Rating:
Summary: Why not.
Review: I watched this flick when it first came out in year 1999. I can't be bothered by the Academy winning director. And I couldn't bother the DVD until I realised the special features include a video of the soundtrack: AMERICAN PIE. Like our spotlight reviewer Ruma, I grab it since I really like most of the music videos by Madonna. AMERICAN PIE is as great as melancholy to look at.

Industrially speaking, this film was released in a "smart" timing (Thanks to Rupert Everett who claims to have brought the script to his friend Madonna). Cinema-goers were terribly missing that kind of gay-straight friendship chemistry after MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING. Benjamin Bratt was dating Julia Roberts. And Madonna, what can I say, as usual was desperately in need for the next best surprise at all her risk for her Hollywood status. So no matter how bad we know who can or cannot act sometimes, we still queued up in the movie liners then.

It also doesn't matter how this film did not example a good ending for the moral of gay-parenting. Sam (the biological son of Abbie and her ex lived-in Kelvin) is taken care of and loved and will always remember that the gay man Robert has been the father from the very beginning. So blood is thicker but doesn't count in this circumstance.

Rating:
Summary: An OK Movie Probably Worth Watching
Review: The Next Best Thing when it came out in the earlier part of the year 2000 was a movie that was torn by critics and that flopped at the box office maybe since it didn't seem "appealing enough" for some audiences who don't like Madonna or Rupert Everett. The movie basically begins with you getting to see the characters of Abbie Reynolds (Madonna) and Robert (Rupert Everett) and basically what they do for a living. Abbie is a yoga instructor who in the beginning you watch about how she believes she can't find a man that is good enough for her. Robert plays a gay architect who feels he has the same problem as Abbie. One night they basically get drunk and in the midst Robert "accidentally" impregnates Abbie. The rest is the second half of the film and you get to see the child growing up and how Abbie for the first time finds a guy who she feels is the right person for her. The rest of the movie is about how she and her new boyfriend Ben (Benjamin Bratt) fall in love and plan to move out of state while Robert is upset that his child is going to be away from him. I'll just leave it from there so not to give away what happens at the end of the film. The movie is in my opinion a lot better than the harsh reviews critics gave it. Madonna isn't one of our leading actresses but her performance isn't bad at all and neither is Rupert's. The movie does have scenes that may seem out of place and sometimes the screenplay can be wrong for some scenes but over all the movie wasn't excellent or bad, it was just plain good.

The DVD has three or four goodies as well. For sound, you get the usual 2-channel Dolby surround or Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (the better one of the two). You also get French as well in Dolby 2-channel format. As usual, their are your subtitles in French and English. Lastly, here are the "real" special features. There first is the trailer which is around 3 mintues and shows the film on it's comedy side and is nice to watch for right before you watch the film itself. Then their is a featurette on the movie which shows John Schlesinger (the director), Madonna, Rupert Everret, and Benjamin Bratt talking about the film and their favorite scenes and what you'd typically see in a featurette. My advice for those like me who buy the DVD when never seeing the movie before is to wait to see the featurette once you already saw the movie cause at the end of the feature the end of the film is given away. It's enjoyable and lasts around 15 minutes. Lastly, for every Madonna fan with a DVD player, you get the music video for "American Pie". This was great for fans like me due to how I have previous collections of her music videos on DVD and also have her new "Music" DVD. If you liked the film then you should consider buying it and if you are a Madonna fan than you should.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointment from a great cast.
Review: First, I'd like to say that I am a huge madonna fan. I own all of her CDs, many singles and many movies -- well, except this one.

Synopsis: In 'The Next Best Thing', Madonna and Rupert Everett play two best friends who have a drunken one night stand, resulting nine months later in the birth of their son. The problem? The father is gay. For six years everything is peachy until Madonna's character, Abbie, meets and becomes engaged to Ben Cooper, played by Bejamin Bratt. Now instead of creating a new-aged 'two daddies and a mommy' kind of family, they go into a full-out custody battle over their son, Sam.

The Problems: Despite great acting from great actors, the storyline goes from happy and feel-good to disappointing and quite frankly, depressing. Also, being gay myself, I was confused as to why Rupert and Madonna would have sex. This movie brings up the very sensitive subject of gay panenting. Instead of making a profound statement about modern families and gay parents, it avoids the issue altogether and leaves viewer asking "Isn't blood thicker than water?" 'The Next Best Thing' could have been a great movie and even a big step forward in the gay community, but fails without any effort.

The only redeeming quality of this movie is the AMAZING sountrack. Madonna, as always, contibutes fabulous songs. In this case it's her great cover of "American Pie" and the tearjerking ballad "Time Stood Still". Every song on this soundtrack is comepletely beautiful. My personal favorites are 'Swayambhu' by Solar Twins, 'Boom Boom Ba' by Metisse and 'Bongo Bong' by Manu Chao. So my advice to you: go buy 'Swept Away', 'Evita', and 'The Next Best Thing' soundtrack -- but avoid this movie.