The Next Best Thing (2000)
Rupert Everett is Madonna’s gay best friend in out director John Schlesinger’s 2000 film THE NEXT BEST THING.
THE NEXT BEST THING
2000. USA.
Director: John Schlesinger
Screenplay: Tom Ropelewski
Starring: Rupert Everett, Madonna, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Vartan, Josef Sommer, Lynn Redgrave, Neil Patrick Harris and Illeana Douglas
The film follows a gay man named Robert (Everett) and his best friend Abbie (Madonna) as they navigate life together…as well as an unexpected pregnancy. After a drunken night with each other, Abbie finds herself with child and they decide to raise the baby together. Five years later, however, Abbie falls in love and wants to move away with her new boyfriend, which results in a brutal custody battle.
The gay best friend character was on the rise in film and TV in the late 90s/early 2000s with AS GOOD AS IT GETS (1997), MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING (97), SEX & THE CITY (98) and THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION (98). THE NEXT BEST THING was next in this timeline, though even the skilled direction of Schlesinger and some queer script-doctoring from Rupert Everett and Ryan Murphy didn’t really help the film find an audience outside of Madonna’s fanbase. Despite their efforts, the film was not well received by the majority of critics and audiences; Roger Ebert described it as “a garage sale of gay issues” and it was nominated for 5 “Razzie” awards.
Although the film does have its faults, it did feature some great queer scenes. Of course, there are the usual stereotypical bits for laughs – Rupert Everett’s character flamboyantly embarrassing Madonna’s homophobic ex at work, or the older queens bickering at a social gathering over ‘who was better?’ Ethel Merman or Betty Hutton in “Annie Get Your Gun”? (Personally, I’m team Merman). But, the good stuff comes in the fatherly interactions of the gay character with his son, his relationship with his mother and best friend – and of course, tackling issues surrounding the AIDS Crisis.
There are some wonderful moments in this film to appreciate, but overall it seems like most people remember it for a chart-topping song that was created for the soundtrack – Madonna’s cover of Don McLean’s 1971 classic “American Pie.”
THE NEXT BEST THING is not widely streaming at the moment, though it is available on DVD. Watch the trailer below:
