The Next Best Thing
A comedy-drama about best friends - one a straight woman, Abbie, the other a gay man, Robert - who decide to have a child together. Five years later, Abbie falls in love with a straight man and wants to move away with her and Robert's little boy Sam, and a nasty custody battle ensues.
Critics Sentiment
Robert and Abbie successfully raise Sam as happy family
Kevin arrives with lawyer seeking custody of Sam
The film crashes from its peak family happiness at 7.5 to its lowest courtroom melodrama at 2.5, a devastating 5-point drop
The Next Best Thing starts promisingly with genuine chemistry between Madonna and Everett in the family-building segments, earning praise for its first two-thirds. However, critics consistently noted how the film derails when it shifts into custody battle territory, becoming a depressing soap opera that squanders its early goodwill. The movie ultimately suffers from tonal whiplash and an overly melodramatic final act.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 29
Madonna
Abbie Reynolds
Rupert Everett
Robert Whittaker
Benjamin Bratt
Ben Cooper
Malcolm Stumpf
Sam
Josef Sommer
Richard Whittaker
Suzanne Krull
Annabel
Linda Larkin
Kelly
Illeana Douglas
Elizabeth Ryder
Michael Vartan
Kevin Lasater
Lynn Redgrave
Helen Whittaker
Neil Patrick Harris
David
Mark Valley
Cardiologist
Stacy Edwards
Finn
John Carroll Lynch
Abbie's Lawyer
Fran Bennett
Judge Tracey Bennett
Ricki Lopez
Angel
Tiffany Paulsen
Young Mother
Jack Betts
Vernon
Irene Roseen
Lena
Caitlin Wachs
Rachel
Crew
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