Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.
Seraherrera The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity
filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.
JaynaB 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.
Lechuguilla Mercilessly condemned by viewers and professional critics, this comedy-drama is not very good; but I have seen films that are a lot worse. A young woman named Abbie (Madonna), who is straight, has a one-night fling with her best friend Robert (Rupert Everett), who is gay. The result is that she gets pregnant. Abbie and Robert agree to raise the child together; but complications ensue when Abbie falls in love with someone else.The first part of the film is lighthearted, and plays like a music video, with some good songs, like "Steppin' Out With My Baby". By the time we get into the second half, however, the lightheartedness has morphed into bitterness and controversy, a change in tone that is jarringly out of sync with earlier sequences.But an even bigger problem is the casting of the two leads, and the Robert character. Madonna tries hard to be a convincing Abbie; her performance isn't bad, really it isn't; she's just a little too wooden. But her celebrity persona as a musical pop star overwhelms all effort to make her seem like some average homebody. As a result, I would have preferred another actress.I did not care for Robert at all, with his exaggerated attempts at witty banter and his fluttering about, typical gay stereotyped behavior, vain and self-absorbed. Later, he becomes rigid in his ability to compromise, a character contrivance that only serves to advance the film's plot. And then Rupert Everett, with his hammy overacting, makes the already flamboyant Robert character almost unendurable. Everett's British accent in a Southern California setting is totally out of place. Almost any other actor of comparable age could have rendered a less painful performance.What makes the film bearable is some good music, including Don McClean's old song "American Pie", and a nifty performance by Malcolm Stumpf as the child, a performance that was thankfully lacking in precocious behavior so often seen in child characters.If they had reworked the script in such a way as to have a more consistent storyline, toned down the Robert character, and chosen different performers for the two lead roles, "The Next Best Thing" might have been better received. As is, the film is interesting mainly for its music, and as a textbook case of what can go wrong when script and casting mistakes are not corrected.
BritneysFan06 I think that this movie is definitely intended for Madonna's target audience...The gay's, her fans, and girls. Overall I think the movie is a chick flick but it definitely keeps your attention. I liked it. Not the best acting, especially on Madonnna's part. But hey you can't get experience without bettering yourself as a performer. The result was this movies acting. It's a fun, young, fresh movie and I would encourage people to be open minded and go rent it. It's worth a try! If you like Madnna's music and you're a fan, in general I would like to think that you would probably like to see this movie. I know I sure did. , be open minded...
stephensgeoff i cannot recall the last time i left a theater feeling as dumbfounded as when i left this horrific film. this movie was just plain stupid. i mean, seriously, didn't anyone at any point realize that it was a mess, or was it like when you drive by a car accident and cannot help but look as you ? unfortunately, car accidents are more interesting because you never know what you'll see. plus, you kinda wonder just how bad it could be, half hoping it isn't that bad, and half hoping it it. with 'the next best thing' i can tell you exactly how bad it is, and unfortunately, like a car accident, i could not look away from this. unlike a car accident the only reason i looked was because it was being projected on the wall in front of me. short of fire, or removing my eyes from their socket i did not see another option.
