The Next Best Thing is a 2000 American comedy-drama film, the final film directed by John Schlesinger. It stars Madonna, Rupert Everett, and Benjamin Bratt. It was a critical and commercial failure. The film is 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 him and Robert's little boy Sam, and a nasty custody battle ensues. The film was a critical and commercial flop. Madonna won a Razzie Award for... Worst Actress, and the film was nominated for other Razzies including Worst Director, Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay. Critic Roger Ebert gave the movie one star, stating: "The Next Best Thing is a garage sale of gay issues, harnessed to a plot as exhausted as a junkman's horse." It was nominated as Outstanding Film at the 2001 GLAAD Media Awards; losing out to Billy Elliot. The film opened at #2 at the North American box office making $5,870,387 USD, behind The Whole Nine Yards. The Next Best Thing' is a soundtrack album released by Maverick Records on February 21, 2000.
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| Release date: | March 3, 2000 |
| Directed by: | John Schlesinger |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 108 Minutes |
| Producer: | Tom Rosenberg, Leslie Dixon, Linne Radmin |
| Editor: | Peter Honess |
| Music by: | Gabriel Yared |
| Cinematography: | Elliot Davis |
| Screenplay by: | Tom Ropelewski |
| Estimated budget: | $25,000,000 |
| Genre: | Comedy |