Watch The Next Best Thing For Free

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

one of films only for lead actors fans. a confuse story with a high potential . a lot of events without purpose. Madonna and Rupert Everett. strange choices, too many characters without precise status, a baby like project and ball - in same measure, and something else, very obscure. the acting seems be result of hard improvisation and the roles are just images discovered on train window. a strange movie who could be only occasion for the two actors to note another characters in CV. sure, the good intentions are not little. but the message of film is obvious only a fog wall. and it is the essential bad thing. because it demonstrates a not inspired script, a director who do not know what he want, a large improvisation who has not beginning or end.

Firm-bodied California yoga teacher Madonna (as Abbie Reynolds) suffers the end of a relationship, which is sad because she is getting older and wants to have a baby. Her gay landscaper pal Rupert Everett (as Robert Whittaker) suggests Madonna become a single mom through anonymous fertilization, but she wants a love child. Being best friends, they have too much to drink one night and copulate. Madonna learns she is pregnant. She and Mr. Everett decide to live together and raise their son, who very quickly grows into Malcolm Stumpf (as Sam)...All goes well until Madonna attracts reluctant yoga student Benjamin Bratt (as Ben Cooper). Now a foursome, the cast has a problem because Mr. Bratt, a self-described workaholic, has to move east for a better job position. He could live luxuriously as a California yoga teacher, but whatever... This well-intentioned story, unfortunately the last film directed by John Schlesinger, is more concerned with how to present a seemingly self-absorbed star than it is with filmmaking. Everett should have taken the kid and moved in with Neil Patrick Harris (as David).**** The Next Best Thing (3/3/00) John Schlesinger ~ Madonna, Rupert Everett, Benjamin Bratt, Malcolm Stumpf

There are many films that I have rated 1 out of 10 that do not deserve the shame of being equated with this film. I am a very ardent Madonna fan; however, this is easily the worst film that I have ever seen. The script and the performances were so bad in spots that I felt nauseous with embarrassment. I couldn't look at the screen. My eyes went south and I was left with Madonna's voice sounding through the screen slipping nightmarishly in and out of a British accent. The plot was poor to begin with but the film was so badly put together that large time lapses left you confused and disoriented. Friends-jump-lovers-jump-enemies-jump-court-jump-friends-huh? what? Do yourself a favour- never, ever, ever watch this film. Unless you've always wondered, just how bad a movie can be. For all of those films that I've rated with one star (Xanadu, JAWS:The Revenge, etc...), I'm sorry; you are much better than this film.

This movie is really a sleeper. I can see why people who watch it expecting a campy fiasco like Madonna made with Sean Penn would be disappointed or even p.o.'d. I avoided it for 9 years just on principle. In fact, during the first few minutes when I accidentally caught it on TV, I kept thinking, "Who is this actress who looks so much like Madonna but who can ACT????" This is really REALLY not a romantic comedy, no matter how light and funny it is initially. It is a more serious than usual role for both Madonna and Rupert Everett, and they both did very well. It is touching and funny, and might have suffered 9 years ago because the viewing public was not ready for the very realistic portrayal of these complicated questions about who is really "family" and why.