Malcolm Stumpf and Madonna in "The Next Best Thing."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Madonna and Rupert Everett Director: John Schlesinger Rated: PG-13, with profanity and sexual issues Length: 105 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(Mar. 3, 2000) -- An insightful, first-rate film about nontraditional parenting is out there, waiting to be made. In a world where David Crosby shares the cover of Rolling Stone with Melissa Etheridge, her female lover and the baby Crosby fathered for them, the topic is too hot -- and too dramatically complex -- to be ignored.

But Madonna's new movie isn't it. Here, we're just settling for The Next Best Thing, a heartfelt but lightweight and inconsistent comedy-drama in which she co-stars with Rupert Everett.

Everett, who stole My Best Friend's Wedding from Julia Roberts, is the chief reason to see The Next Best Thing. Madonna, though, delivers a performance that's several notches below her fine work in Evita.

Madonna plays Abbie, a Los Angeles yoga instructor in her mid-thirties who has been dumped by her boyfriend -- and her biological clock is ticking. Her best friend is Robert (Everett), an unattached gay gardener.

One night, after another friend's funeral, Abbie and Robert get drunk, and their relationship takes an unexpected, momentary turn. The moment results in a baby. They vow to parent the child together, living under the same roof but allowing for the probability that each will continue to date other men.

Flash forward six years, and their child is now a bright and appealing boy named Sam (played with considerable charm by newcomer Malcolm Stumpf).

Thus far, The Next Best Thing is a breezy and only occasionally silly comedy -- the movie you'll expect if you've seen the trailers.

Then Abbie meets Ben (Benjamin Bratt), an oh-so-handsome corporate executive. The off-beat family structure is threatened when Ben asks Abbie to marry him.

With this, the film shifts rather abruptly from romantic comedy to sudsy melodrama. Ben has received a major take-it-or-leave-it offer from his corporation, which would require moving to New York City. Ben and Abbie plan to take Sam with them, which would leave Robert alone in L.A.

Quickly -- too quickly to be believed -- the struggle escalates to lawyers and child custody hearings. (A simple, unselfish decision would fix everything, of course, but then the movie would be too short.)

If that's not bad enough, one of Abbie's earlier boyfriends reappears as a truly unnecessary plot device.

The Next Best Thing will ultimately be considered a lesser work among the films of veteran director John Schlesinger (of Midnight Cowboy and Marathon Man). The story survives its decline only because Everett is an actor of uncommon range and intelligence, and we care about what happens to him. He's equally skilled in both the comedic and dramatic segments of the script.

Madonna is only adequate in most of the light comedy scenes, though she demonstrates appealing flair in the highly physical yoga scenes and the film's occasional pratfalls. But she appears uncomfortable in the film's more dramatic second half, struggling to find the right stock expressions for sadness, anger and frustration.

Because Everett generates much empathy, The Next Best Thing still is a moderately effective reminder that nontraditional family structures come with their own unique bundle of problems, pleasures and pain.