The Next Best Thing

About The Next Best Thing

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 her and Robert's little boy Sam, and a nasty custody battle ensues.

The Next Best Thing is a 2000 comedy romance film directed by John Schlesinger. It runs 108 minutes and was released in March 2000.

Its themes are best friend, single father, single, and custody battle.

Madonna appears as Abbie Reynolds, Rupert Everett as Robert Whittaker, Benjamin Bratt as Ben Cooper, and Malcolm Stumpf as Sam. The screenplay is by Tom Ropelewski.

Bringing Down the House, Despicable Me 2, and Marriage Story make useful companions to The Next Best Thing, all filed under parent child relationship. TMDB voters put it at 5.2 out of 10 across 207 votes and it carries a PG-13 rating.