The Next Best Thing | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | John Schlesinger |
Written by | Tom Ropelewski |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Elliot Davis |
Edited by | Peter Honess |
Music by | Gabriel Yared |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures (North America) Lakeshore International (Internationally) |
Release date |
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Running time | 108 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $25 million |
Box office | $24.3 million [1] |
The Next Best Thing is a 2000 American comedy-drama film directed by John Schlesinger (his final feature film before his death in 2003) about two best friends who have a child together and a custody battle years after. Starring Madonna, Rupert Everett, and Benjamin Bratt, it opened to the number-two position in the North American box office and poor critical reviews. The accompanying soundtrack album was appreciated by music critics. Its lead single, "American Pie" topped the charts in various countries, including Everett's native United Kingdom, and helped to introduce Don McLean's song to newer audiences.
![]() | This article needs an improved plot summary.(January 2023) |
Two best friends –Abbie, a heterosexual woman, and Robert, a gay man – decide to have a child together. Five years later, Abbie falls in love with a heterosexual man and wants to move away with him and Robert's son Sam, and a nasty custody battle ensues.
Cast taken from Variety and Turner Classic Movies listing of The Next Best Thing. [2] [3]
The film began as an original screenplay titled The Red Curtain by Tom Ropelewski, which he intended to direct, with his wife Leslie Dixon to produce. It was announced to be made in 1995 with Richard Dreyfuss attached to star as Robert; he dropped out, then Helen Hunt was named as female lead to play Abbie. She was replaced by Madonna and then Rupert Everett signed on as star. Filming took place between April 23 and June 30, 1999. It later was claimed the script was rewritten extensively by Ryan Murphy and Rupert Everett. [4]
Paramount Pictures distributed the film in North America while international sales were held by Lakeshore International. Buena Vista International acquired distribution rights from Lakeshore in most territories.
The film received a 19% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 94 reviews, with an average rating of 3.8/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Story elements clash and acting falls short." [5] On Metacritic, the film has rating of 25 out of 100 based on 31 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [6]
Variety commented, "to a good movie is a well-intentioned one, and at the end of the day, that less-than-compelling consolation prize is about the best thing one can hand this resoundingly adequate Advanced Family Values comedy-drama". [2] Roger Ebert gave the film one star out of four, stating: "The Next Best Thing is a garage sale of gay issues, harnessed to a plot as exhausted as a junkman's horse." [7]
The film opened at number two at the North American box office, making USD$5,870,387, behind The Whole Nine Yards . The film grossed $14,990,582 in the U.S. and $24,362,772 worldwide on a $25 million budget. [1]
Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
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GLAAD Media Award [8] | Outstanding Film – Wide Release | The Next Best Thing | Nominated |
Golden Raspberry Awards [9] | Worst Picture | The Next Best Thing | Nominated |
Worst Screenplay | John Kohn and Robert Bentley | Nominated | |
Worst Actress | Madonna | Won | |
Worst Screen Combo | Madonna and Rupert Everett | Nominated | |
Worst Director | John Schlesinger | Nominated | |
Stinkers Bad Movie Awards [10] | Worst Actress and Musician or Athlete Who Shouldn't Be Acting | Madonna | Won |
In 2020, Screen Rant ranked it among the best Madonna movie roles. [11] CNN film critic, Paul Clinton, named The Next Best Thing one of the Top 10 worst movies of 2000. [12]
The Next Best Thing (Music from the Motion Picture) | |
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Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
Released | February 22, 2000 [13] |
Recorded | 1997–1999 |
Length | 49:31 |
Label | |
Producer |
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Singles from The Next Best Thing (Music from the Motion Picture) | |
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The soundtrack album was released by Maverick Records on February 22, 2000. Madonna was executive producer on the soundtrack and hand-picked all the tracks that appeared. [14] [15] The album had two new songs from Madonna: "Time Stood Still" (an original track co-written and co-produced with William Orbit) and a cover of Don McLean's "American Pie". [16] The album also included tracks by Moby, Beth Orton, Christina Aguilera, and Groove Armada. [17] [18]
No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Boom Boom Ba" | Métisse | |
2. | "Bongo Bong" | Manu Chao | |
3. | "Don't Make Me Love You ('Til I'm Ready)" | Christina Aguilera | |
4. | "American Pie" | Madonna | |
5. | "This Life" | Mandalay | |
6. | "If Everybody Looked the Same" | Groove Armada | |
7. | "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" | Moby | |
8. | "I'm Not in Love" | Olive | |
9. | "Stars All Seem to Weep" | Beth Orton | |
10. | "Time Stood Still" | Madonna | |
11. | "Swayambhu" | Solar Twins | |
12. | "Forever and Always" | Gabriel Yared | |
Total length: | 49:31 |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Baltimore Sun | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Calgary Herald | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [16] |
Indiana Gazette | B [22] |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Portland Press Herald | B+ [14] |
The San Diego Union-Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Vancouver Sun | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Windsor Star | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The soundtrack received generally positive feedback from music journalists. Various reviewers praised Madonna's hand-pick selection and Madonna's songs. Portland Press Herald editor Michael Histen called it a "strong collection" and complimented the release as a "cohesive collection, and one of the better soundtracks in quite some time". [14] The Washington Post 's Richard Harrington, described "Most of this soundtrack has a cool luster to it". [26] Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was overall positive towards the soundtrack, concluding "It's not great, but it's the next best thing". [23] Kerry Gold, from Vancouver Sun , similarly described the album as "the next best thing to an excellent soundtrack". [15]
Other reviewers praised soundtrack's dance-oriented songs. According to Billboard, the album is a "clubber's dream", [18] and a "pop/dance punter's dream" that have "groovy mix of global beats" and "intertwines the old with the new". [27] New York Daily News made similar remarks, complimenting the music style featured on the soundtrack, describing the album as "nouvelle electronica", "a revolutionary mix of woozy electronics and retro-lounge sounds". [28] Writing for The Baltimore Sun , J. D. Considine considered "is the next best thing to a new Madonna album", further describing "anyone who was a fan of her last album, 1998's Ray of Light " will find much to like about The Next Best Thing. [20] J. D. Considine complimented "Time Stood Still" as "far more convincing" describing it as "mournful, Latin-tinged ballad". [20] Jim Farber, in his review for Orlando Sentinel overall praised the soundtrack, and also complimented "Time Stood Still" saying "her best ballad since 'Take a Bow'; vocally, Madonna "has never sounded more beautiful than on her other song". [29] In a mixed response, Howard Cohen from the Miami Herald commented "American Pie" is the "best thing" on the album while "the rest is the usual soundtrack grab-bag of found oldies". [30] Kevin C. Johnson, from St. Louis Post-Dispatch was overall critical calling the soundtrack a "horrific material". [31] Courier News referred the soundtrack is "as impersonal as the film's storyline". [32]
The Next Best Thing debuted and peaked at number 34 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, [33] staying at least 8 weeks on the chart. [34] Two months after its release, in April 2000, the album had sold over 155,000 copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan. [35] The album also charted in Austria, Germany and elsewhere. The song "American Pie" climbed to the top of charts in the UK, Italy, Australia, Germany, and other territories. "Time Stood Still" also reached the number 3 in Czech Republic. [36]
The soundtrack album helped boost US sales for British band Olive's album, Extra Virgin (1996). [35] Billboard's Michael Paoletta commented, the band "stirred much interest of its sophomore album". [37] "American Pie" also revived "interest in [Don] McLean's magnum opus" according to publications such as Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), [38] and writer Nat Shapiro. [39] Fred Bronson, chart columinist of Billboard, noted Madonna was the first artist to have a number-one song of an "American Pie" cover in the UK. It also extended Madonna's record of most-number one singles in the UK by a female artist; at that time, double that Whitney Houston and Kylie Minogue, with four each. [40]
Chart (2000) | Peak position |
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Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [41] | 16 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [42] | 19 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [43] | 55 |
US Billboard 200 [33] | 34 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Mexico | — | 40,000 [lower-alpha 1] |
United States | — | 155,000 [lower-alpha 2] |
On August 26, 2000, Billboard announced the film will debut on DVD and VHS from Paramount Home Entertainment, although spokespeople would not confirm it. [45] The release debuted at number 20 on Billboard's Top DVD Sales, [46] and peaked at number 11 on the Top Video Rentals chart. [47] The Philadelphia Inquirer gave 2 out of four stars. [48]
"American Pie" is a song by American singer and songwriter Don McLean. Recorded and released in 1971 on the album of the same name, the single was the number-one US hit for four weeks in 1972 starting January 15 after just eight weeks on the US Billboard charts. The song also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. In the UK, the single reached number 2, where it stayed for three weeks on its original 1971 release, and a reissue in 1991 reached No. 12. The song was listed as the No. 5 song on the RIAA project Songs of the Century. A truncated version of the song was covered by Madonna in 2000 and reached No. 1 in at least 15 countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. At 8 minutes and 42 seconds, McLean's combined version is the sixth longest song to enter the Billboard Hot 100. The song also held the record for almost 50 years for being the longest song to reach number one before Taylor Swift's "All Too Well " broke the record in 2021. Due to its exceptional length, it was initially released as a two-sided 7-inch single. "American Pie" has been described as "one of the most successful and debated songs of the 20th century".
Madonna Louise Ciccone is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting and visual presentation. Madonna's works, which incorporate social, political, sexual, and religious themes, have generated both controversy and critical acclaim. A cultural icon spanning both the 20th and 21st centuries, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame called her one of the most "well-documented figures of the modern age" in 2008. Various scholarly reviews, literature, and art works have been created about her along with an academic mini subdiscipline devoted to her called Madonna studies.
GHV2 is the second greatest hits album by American recording artist Madonna. It was released by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records on November 13, 2001, coinciding with the video album, Drowned World Tour 2001. A follow-up to The Immaculate Collection (1990), GHV2 contains a collection of singles during the second decade of Madonna's career. Madonna mentioned that she only included "songs that I could listen to five times in a row" on it. The album did not contain any new songs, but a promotional single titled "GHV2 Megamix" was released, which contained remixes by Thunderpuss, John Rocks & Mac Quayle and Tracy Young. A promotional remix album was also issued, titled GHV2 Remixed: The Best of 1991–2001.
Who's That Girl is the first soundtrack album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on July 21, 1987, by Sire Records to promote the film of the same name. It also contains songs by her label mates Scritti Politti, Duncan Faure, Club Nouveau, Coati Mundi and Michael Davidson. The soundtrack is credited as a Madonna album, despite her only performing four of the nine tracks on the album. After the commercial success of the film Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), in which she co-starred, Madonna wanted to act in another comedy film titled Slammer, about a woman named Nikki Finn who was falsely accused of homicide. However, due to the critical and commercial failure of her adventure film Shanghai Surprise (1986), Warner Bros. was initially reluctant to greenlight the project but later agreed.
"Who's That Girl" is a song by American singer Madonna from the soundtrack of the 1987 film of the same name. Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, it was released in Europe as the soundtrack's lead single on June 29, 1987 and in the United States on 30 June 1987. An uptempo pop song, "Who's That Girl" continued the singer's fascination with Latin pop, a genre she had previously explored on her single "La Isla Bonita". It features instrumentation from drums, bass, and trumpets, and has lyrics sung both in English and Spanish. While shooting for the film, then called Slammer, Madonna had requested Leonard to develop a song that captured the nature of her character; the producer worked on a demo and, afterwards, Madonna added the lyrics and decided to rename the song, as well as the film, to "Who's That Girl".
Vision Quest is a 1985 American coming-of-age romantic drama film starring Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino, Michael Schoeffling, and Ronny Cox. It is based on Terry Davis's 1979 novel of the same name.
I'm Breathless is an album by American singer and songwriter Madonna, released on May 22, 1990, by Sire Records to accompany the film Dick Tracy. The album contains three songs written by Stephen Sondheim, which were used in the film, in addition to several songs co-written by Madonna that were inspired by but not included in the film. Madonna starred as Breathless Mahoney alongside her then-boyfriend Warren Beatty who played the title role, Dick Tracy. After filming was complete, Madonna began work on the album, with Sondheim, producer Patrick Leonard and engineer Bill Bottrell. She also worked with producer Shep Pettibone on the album's first single, "Vogue". The album was recorded in three weeks, at Johnny Yuma Recording and Ocean Way Studios, in Los Angeles, California.
Music is the eighth studio album by American singer Madonna, released on September 18, 2000, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records. Following the success of her previous album Ray of Light (1998), Madonna found herself in a music scene increasingly influenced by a younger generation of singers such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. This led her to seek a distinctive sound that would set her apart in the evolving musical landscape. Her collaborations with Mirwais Ahmadzaï and William Orbit resulted in a more experimental direction for the album. Music incorporates many different genres into its overall dance-pop and electronica vibe, taking influences from funk, house, rock, country and folk. With the album embracing a western motif, Madonna reimagined her image in the role of a cowgirl.
"Nothing Fails" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her ninth studio album, American Life (2003). Written by Madonna, Guy Sigsworth and Jem Griffiths, and produced by the singer along with Mirwais Ahmadzaï and Mark "Spike" Stent, it was released as the third single from the album on October 27, 2003. Originally demoed as "Silly Thing", "Nothing Fails" is a love song which has acoustic guitar chords and a gospel choir appearance. Lyrically, the song discusses a lover who is the one, and how their meeting was not just chance. A number of remixes of the song were done, with one of them being included on Madonna's remix album Remixed & Revisited (2003).
"Love Profusion" is a song by American singer and songwriter Madonna for her ninth studio album, American Life (2003). Written and produced by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï, it was released as the fourth and final single from the album on December 8, 2003, by Maverick Records. "Love Profusion" was first premiered during the release of the album on AOL. It later received a number of remixes, which were also released alongside the single. The song contains rhythm from a four piece bass drum, with acoustic guitar riffs and Madonna's voice backed by a male vocal during the chorus. Ahmadzaï used the stutter edit to create a new groove. Dedicated to Madonna's then-husband, Guy Ritchie, the song's lyrics deal with Madonna's confusion regarding American culture.
"Beautiful Stranger" is a song by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on May 19, 1999, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records as a single from the soundtrack of the film, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the song with William Orbit. The soundtrack for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was a much expected release and Madonna's song was chosen by the album's executive producers to promote it. "Beautiful Stranger" has appeared on three separate Madonna greatest hits collections: GHV2 (2001), Celebration (2009) and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022). Musically, "Beautiful Stranger" is a psychedelic pop and disco song that features heavily reverberated guitars and bouncy drum loops. Its lyrics tell the tale of a romantic infatuation.
"Crazy for You" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for the film Vision Quest (1985). It was released in February 1985 by Geffen Records as the lead single from the film's soundtrack album. Film producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber, along with music director Phil Ramone, decided to use Madonna after listening to her previous recordings, employing John Bettis and Jon Lind to write the song. After reading the script of the film, Bettis and Lind wrote the song about the situation in which the lead characters meet at a nightclub. Initial recording sessions did not impress Bettis and Lind, and they felt that "Crazy for You" would be dropped from the soundtrack. However, a new version was recorded to their liking.
Evita is the soundtrack album to the 1996 musical film of the same name, performed mostly by American singer Madonna. It was released by Warner Bros. Records on October 28, 1996 in the United Kingdom and on November 12, 1996, in the United States. Directed by Alan Parker, the film was based on Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1978 musical Evita about First Lady of Argentina Eva Perón, portrayed by Madonna. The soundtrack consists of reworked songs from its original 1976 concept album as well as a new song, "You Must Love Me". Additional performers on the soundtrack include Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce and Jimmy Nail.
I'm Going to Tell You a Secret is the first live album by American singer and songwriter Madonna, containing songs from the documentary of same name. The film chronicled the behind-the-scenes of Madonna's Re-Invention World Tour (2004), and was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. The album was released on June 20, 2006, in a two-disc format, a CD with 13 songs from the show plus a demo from her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005), and a DVD with the documentary film. The documentary and the album were also released as digital download to the iTunes Store.
"Rhythm Divine" is a song by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias from his fourth studio album, Enrique (1999). The song was written by Paul Barry and Mark Taylor with Taylor and Brian Rawling handling its production. It is a dance-pop rhythmic romantic ballad that mixes with Latin and Mediterranean music. Lyrically, Iglesias asks the listener if they can hear the rhythm, and one music journalist compared it to USA for Africa's "We Are the World" (1985). A Spanish-language translation of the song titled "Ritmo Total" was also recorded and features additional lyrical contributions by Rafael Pérez-Botija.
"No Me Dejes de Querer" is a song by Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan from her ninth studio album, Alma Caribeña (2000). The song was written by the artist along with Roberto Blades and her husband Emilio Estefan. The latter two also handled the song's production. It was released as the album's lead single on March 27, 2000, by Epic Records. "No Me Dejes de Querer" is a son cubano and murga song in which the narrator pleads her lover to never stop loving her. The song was met with mostly positive reviews, which found it to be an upbeat number.
"Cómo Me Duele Perderte" is a song by Cuban American singer Gloria Estefan from her ninth studio album, Alma Caribeña (2000). The song was written by Marco Flores with her husband Emilio Estefan and Roberto Blades handling its production. It was released as the album's second single by Epic Records on July 10, 2000. "Cómo Me Duele Perderte" is a salsa and bachata track that narrates the singer in pain of losing someone. The song was met with unfavorable reactions from music critics who criticized its arrangements and the singer's efforts. Commercially, the song topped the Billboard Hot Latin Songs and Tropical Airplay charts in the United States, while also peaking at number 12 on the Dance Club Songs chart in the same country and number eight in Spain. The accompanying music video was directed by Emilio, filmed in Miami, Florida, and features dramatic scenes of Estefan in front of a mirror remembering her former lover.
"You Sang to Me" is a song recorded by American singer Marc Anthony for his self-titled fourth studio album (1999). Cory Rooney produced the recording and co-wrote the song with Anthony. "You Sang to Me" is a mid-tempo, pop and romantic ballad that includes elements of Latin, R&B, and adult contemporary genres whose lyrics are about a man who lets his life partner walk away although he is in a relationship with another person. Anthony also recorded a Spanish-language version of the song titled "Muy Dentro de Mí", which has additional lyrical contributions by Roberto Blades and Gaitanes.
"Impressive Instant" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 2000 studio album Music. Originally intended to be the fourth single of the album, the release was cancelled due to a disagreement between Madonna and her recording company. Finally Warner Bros. released it in the United States as a promotional single on September 18, 2001. Written and produced by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï, the track is bright and uplifting in its content and composition. It was the first song that Madonna and Ahmadzaï worked on and recorded. Ahmadzaï had to work separately on his laptop to generate the sound elements which Madonna wanted in the song, since it was difficult to generate the music in the recording studio. "Impressive Instant" has been described as a club-savvy acid techno, pop-trance, electropop and electro house stomper containing futuristic keyboard lines, with Madonna's vocals being distorted and robotic. Backed by laser noises and synths, the song's lyrics deal with love at first sight, and contains somewhat absurd, nonsensical lyrics.
El sencillo de 'American Pie' ha logrado ventas por mas de un millon y medio de unidades a nivel mundial, pero todo el disco tiene temas muy interesantes, todos escogidos por Madonna. En Mexico el disco completo ya rebaso las 40 mil copias