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The Next Best Thing

Play trailer 2:05 Poster for The Next Best Thing PG-13 Released Mar 3, 2000 1h 48m Comedy Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
19% Tomatometer 94 Reviews 35% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Abbie (Madonna) and Robert (Rupert Everett) are best friends with so much in common and miserable luck in love. They would make the perfect couple, but one thing prevents them from looking to each other for romance -- Robert is gay. A day comes, however, when too many cocktails and a twist of fate takes them to a new level of intimacy... and turns them into parents. Theirs may not be the perfect family -- but it is the next best thing.
The Next Best Thing

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Story elements clash and acting falls short.

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Critics Reviews

View All (94) Critics Reviews
David Ansen Newsweek The two stars may be great pals in life, but there's little magic in their on-screen partnership. Mar 6, 2018 Full Review Globe and Mail Rated: 1.5/4 Mar 22, 2002 Full Review Stephen Holden New York Times The moment the movie loses its lighthearted spirit is the moment it loses touch with reality. Rated: 0.5/5 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Tony Black Cultural Conversation A glossy, ham-fisted, non-romance. Rated: 1/5 Feb 16, 2021 Full Review Barbara Shulgasser Common Sense Media Drama about untraditional parenting has sex, mature themes. Rated: 3/5 Apr 19, 2016 Full Review Bob Grimm Sacramento News & Review Rated: 1/5 Aug 7, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (330) audience reviews
Steve D No one is doing their best work. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Mark S Finally saw this last night and yes, it is as bad as its reputation. It was simply painful watching Madonna trying to act as a normal person, with that awful script, and few of the characters being remotely believable. I was working for John Schlesinger just prior to him making this last film and at the time, he said it was more difficult making a Hollywood film with a gay subject matter today, than when he made Sunday Bloody Sunday in the seventies. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 08/19/22 Full Review Audience Member The next best thing would have been to watch a different film than this one. This movie is just that awful. Sadly. The only person who was even good in this movie was Lynn Redgrave and she was only in like two scenes. Everyone else's acting in this movie is just atrocious. Even Neil Patrick Harris was bad in this movie and I didn't even know that was possible. What in the hell happened?! Oh yeah, Madonna happened. Oh brother. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member I love this movie and I loved Madonnas performance as Abby. The sad thing is that Madonnas movies never get a chance because as soon as people see her name they IMMEDIATELY form a negative opinion. I guess that’s what happens when you’re the most successful female in history. When you’re a threat people feel the need to attack. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/05/20 Full Review Audience Member An extremely fun and bittersweet story of friendship, love, desperation, parenthood, and ultimately making the right decision. This is another example of a great movie being squashed by "critics" and their shares love of hating Madonna. Do yourself a favor and watch The Next Best Thing. You'll be glad you did Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Madonna best performance Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Next Best Thing

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Cast & Crew

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John Schlesinger

Director

Rupert Everett

Robert

Madonna

Abbie

Benjamin Bratt

Ben

Michael Vartan

Kevin

Josef Sommer

Richard Whittaker

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The Next Best Thing

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The Next Best Thing

Madonna, Neil Patrick Harris and Rupert Everett in Paramount's The Next Best Thing Rupert Everett and Madonna in Paramount's The Next Best Thing Rupert Everett, Malcolm Stumpf and Madonna in Paramount's The Next Best Thing Malcolm Stumpf and Madonna in Paramount's The Next Best Thing Rupert Everett, Madonna and Director John Schlesinger in Paramount's The Next Best Thing Rupert Everett and Madonna in Paramount's The Next Best Thing Madonna and Benjamin Bratt in Paramount's The Next Best Thing Madonna and Rupert Everett in Paramount's The Next Best Thing Madonna and Benjamin Bratt in Paramount's The Next Best Thing Malcolm Stumpf and Rupert Everett in Paramount's The Next Best Thing View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Abbie (Madonna) and Robert (Rupert Everett) are best friends with so much in common and miserable luck in love. They would make the perfect couple, but one thing prevents them from looking to each other for romance -- Robert is gay. A day comes, however, when too many cocktails and a twist of fate takes them to a new level of intimacy... and turns them into parents. Theirs may not be the perfect family -- but it is the next best thing.
Director
John Schlesinger
Producer
Leslie Dixon, Linne Radmin, Tom Rosenberg
Screenwriter
Tom Ropelewski
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures, Lakeshore Entertainment
Rating
PG-13 (Mature Themes|Language|Partial Nudity|Sexual Content)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 3, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$15.0M
Runtime
1h 48m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)