The Next Best Thing Reviews

Well Worth Seeing

I wasn't expecting this film to be as good as it is. Sure, Madonna is not the world's greatest actor, and in a way, her stardom detracts from any role she is likely to play, but she *looks* absolutely right for this part.

Rupert Everet is just wonderful as the gay best friend who has a one-night drunken fling and ends up being a father to their child. The film looks beautiful and tackles some very pertinent issues about parenthood and the rights of gay men. I enjoyed every minute of this film, and recommend it as a gay-theme movie, or just mainstream great entertainment.

Sugar coated

The film looks good, and Madonna is surprisingly convincing in a part that surely was written with her in mind. It tackles serious issues concerning the rights of gay men to enjoy the same paternal rights as their straight fellows, but the syrupy gloss spoiled it for me.

Rupert Everett is brilliant, of course, as the gay best friend every woman wants, and the film is worth watching for him alone. The relationship between Robert (Everett) and his son, Sam, works well, but the rest of the movie had an air of unreality that made it difficult to connect with the characters and their easy lifestyle. I just couldn't believe the arrangement could go for 6 years before the cracks began to show.

Sweet!

I have to say that I really like this film. Ok the acting and the camera work is not the best but the plot is sweet and although it gets off to a slow start, it soon speeds up!

I personally like most madonna films, and i have think she deserves more credit, and i don't always understand why her films bomb, maybe it's because small minded people can't see beyond her talent and abilities as a music artist. Personally, i feel that she manages both very well. Go madonna!

Disappointing

The only great thing about this film is Rupert Everett. He never disappoints - even in a drab, uninteresting film like this one.

Madonna is very wooden in the film, showed no believable emotion, and was out-acted by the little boy who played her son.

The best thing

This film was very good,although im a big madge fan,i must admit she cant act very good,but she pulled it off in this film.Madge plays abbie who dispite her looks has no luck wiv men,the only man she trusts is robert,her gay best friend.But things become heated between them,and things change for good.This film is great top marks to the queen herself,5 stars from me

[Highly rated reviewer]

Not the stinker that some have claimed

We all know that Madonna isn't the world's greatest actress, but she turns in a sympathetic performance here as a yoga instructor raising a son with her gay best friend. Rupert Everett is also good and there is genuine warmth between the two leads and the boy playing their son. Unfortunately, the amiable first two thirds of the movie become just a humdrum courtroom drama for the last third, and Benjamin Bratt is very wooden, although to be fair his character is only a plot device anyway. A small part by Illeana Douglas was an unexpected bonus.

shameful

When i saw adverts for 'the next best thing', i thought 'wow! i can't wait to see that!'. Unfortunately, i was disappointed. After i had watched it, i was left feeling very depressed.

Enjoyable

I can't rave over this film, but can't run it down either. It's one of those films that you enjoy watching but somehow when it's finished you get up and move on with your life.

The Next Best Thing

This was an OK film, Madonna was just Madonna with Rupert Everett being just fab. It would have worked better for me without Madonna. You sort of knew where this film was going by the time you were half way through which sort of spoiled it. The ending wasn't up to much either, it just finished. The Next Best Thing for me would be a different cast - with the exception of Rupert.