The Next Best Thing

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" reached the number-one in various countries and helped to introduce Don McLean's song to newer audiences.

Plot
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
Cast taken from Variety and Turner Classic Movies listing of The Next Best Thing.

Production
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.

Distribution
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.

Critical response
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." On Metacritic, the film has rating of 25 out of 100 based on 31 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

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". 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."

Box office
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.

Accolades
In 2020, Screen Rant ranked it among the best Madonna movie roles. CNN film critic, Paul Clinton, named The Next Best Thing one of the Top 10 worst movies of 2000.

Soundtrack
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. 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". The album also included tracks by Moby, Beth Orton, Christina Aguilera, and Groove Armada.

Critical response
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". The Washington Post's Richard Harrington, described "Most of this soundtrack has a cool luster to it". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was overall positive towards the soundtrack, concluding "It's not great, but it's the next best thing". Kerry Gold, from Vancouver Sun, similarly described the album as "the next best thing to an excellent soundtrack".

Other reviewers praised soundtrack's dance-oriented songs. According to Billboard, the album is a "clubber's dream", and a "pop/dance punter's dream" that have "groovy mix of global beats" and "intertwines the old with the new". 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". 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. J. D. Considine complimented "Time Stood Still" as "far more convincing" describing it as "mournful, Latin-tinged ballad". 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". 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". Kevin C. Johnson, from St. Louis Post-Dispatch was overall critical calling the soundtrack a "horrific material". Courier News referred the soundtrack is "as impersonal as the film's storyline".

Commercial performance
The Next Best Thing debuted and peaked at number 34 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, staying at least 8 weeks on the chart. Two months after its release, in April 2000, the album had sold over 155,000 copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan. 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.

Impact
The soundtrack album helped boost US sales for British band Olive's album, Extra Virgin (1996). Billboard's Michael Paoletta commented, the band "stirred much interest of its sophomore album". "American Pie" also revived "interest in [Don] McLean's magnum opus" according to publications such as Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), and writer Nat Shapiro. 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.

Home media
On August 26, 2000, Billboard announced the film will debut on DVD and VHS from Paramount Home Entertainment, although spokespeople would not confirm it. The release debuted at number 20 on Billboard's Top DVD Sales, and peaked at number 11 on the Top Video Rentals chart. The Philadelphia Inquirer gave 2 out of four stars.