Plot: What’s it about?
Good casting, plus a great director doesn’t always add up to a good movie. At least that’s something I remember hearing about this movie when it came out. Combining the talents of Director, John Schlesinger (who won an Academy Award for his direction in “Midnight Cowboy”) and the “talents” of Madonna and Rupert Everett, The Next Best Thing should have success written all over it. Madonna, who has been providing all of us with thrills since she burst on the music scene some 15 years ago, has chosen to go the acting route. Like so many other singers these days, it was Madonna who was one of the first to go into acting capitalizing on her success as a singer (Desperately Seeking Susan). But time passes, and even Madonna grows up, now a mother, she has chosen to take some more dramatic roles…and it’s in this that we see Madonna incorporate her latest “thing” into a movie. Madonna has made no secret of her latest fascination with Yoga and all that stuff that goes along with it, and to my suprise…she plays Abbie a Yoga teacher!
Now, all of this may seem a bit cyinical, but I really did like this movie. We first meet Robert (Rupert Everett) as he’s working away at his job. Being a gardner isn’t exactly glamorous, except in Los Angeles where he makes the remark to a customer “…$1000 for dirt is expensive, but then again this town is built on a desert..”. We see and figure out real soon that he is gay and that Abbie (Madonna) is a very close friend of his who keeps striking out at finding the right man. While housesitting for some clients, and of couse taking care of their garden, Abbie and Robert celebrate the 4th of July a little too hard, and a few martinis leads to a one night stand that sets the tone for the whole movie. Of course, with Robert being gay and Abbie being single, this creates somewhat of a problem. Deciding to keep the baby and with Robert agreeing to be by her side acting (for all intensive purposes) as the father, everything is going along pretty good…Now what would a movie be without a little wrench thrown in the works? The time passes for 5 years or so, Robert’s friends are slowly dying off due to what we beleive is AIDS, and we see a very underused Neil Patrick Harris as one of Robert’s gay, dying friends. This is all more of a subplot that never really takes us anywhere, though.
As mentioned before, things are going really well. We see that Robert can’t really find a good man nor can Abbie, but the three seem very happy and content being as close to a “normal” family as can be. This is until Abbie is asked out by Ben (Benjamin Bratt). Ben, a good-looking successful attorney is almost exactly what Abbie is looking for and when they start to hit it off, Robert can’t help but to feel a bit jealous. From this point, things begin to form a downward spiral as the impending marraige of Ben and Abbie creates a court battle for custody of Kevin, the son of Abbie and Robert. While not wanting to divulge any more details, I can say that this movie was very entertaining and right up there in the same genre as “Three to Tango” in terms of content and humor. While it’s certainly no “Midnight Cowboy”, hardly any movie is. The cast is very talented, and Madonna is actually getting a bit better at acting. While some of the subject matter may be a bit “in your face” or if you can’t handle anything concerning homosexual relationships, then maybe you should pass. But, if you’re looking for a very solid, well-made movie then this may be your cup of tea.
Video: How does it look?
Presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, The Next Best Thing takes full advantage of it’s anamorphic image. The colors are bright and detail is sharp all throughout the movie. The colors seem natural and black levels are right on target. While a few flicks and flickers here and there may take away from what could be a perfect image, they are certainly nothing to take away from the movie. Paramount has offered us yet another high quality presentation and I have to say that the disc is dual-layered, allowing for a higher bitrate (sharper picture), which is always a nice touch. A very good, clean presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Next Best Thing is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, which is the standard for any of today’s movies. While the audio portion of this movie won’t blow you away, it has it’s finer points…The rating is a “4”, but just because it lacked that punch that would really leave a lasting impression. The movie is, of course, very dialog driven and the only realy time that it gets to shine is at the ending credits when Madonna’s rendetion of “American Pie” is playing. Aside from that, the dialog is clear and for the most part it sounds like a Dolby Surround mix, but it definately serves it’s purpose here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Paramount is on par with studios like Disney. While offering more and more pseudo “Special Editions” they routinely provide at least some extras on the disc. This is no exception. Included is the full video for Madonna’s “American Pie” video, where she is bouncing around in a skin tight tank top ruining yet another one of our best songs, but it’s still a nice touch to have (if this is your thing). Also included are some interviews with the cast and director, John Schleshinger. So if you love this movie, and just have to have some more, there are about 20 minutes of supplemental materials to keep you occupied. Not too bad, of course there’s always more, but I’m sure that if the movie were more popular, there would be. I really have nothing to complain about here, this disc is very solid, as is the movie.
