Rupert Everett, the guy who stole the show in My Best Friend's Wedding, is back, gay once again, in The Next Best Thing. But, unlike My Best Friend's Wedding which was reasonably amusing, The Next Best Thing doesn't cut it.

It doesn't help that The Next Best Thing is a boring drama. Sure, it may pass as a comedy in some parts but in reality, it is a drama. It is a bad drama. In order for a drama to be good, it must have two things: 1) Interesting characters, and 2) drama. The Next Best Thing has neither. Rupert Everett's character can be fun at times but also can be a jerk. The same goes for Madonna, who sounds a little more British than she used to be. Only she's a bitch through half the movie and a protagonist through the other part.

The main problem with The Next Best Thing is that it deals with something that isn't very interesting. The concept is good at first; a gay guy sleeps with his best friend, a female, once, she gets pregnant, and the next thing they know, they are living with each other and acting as mother and father, but aren't married and are even dating other people. This sounds like a comedy to me. And then Madonna's new boyfriend wants to move out East and so a custody battle ensues, tearing the family apart. This sounds like a drama that no one really wants to watch. What is worse is that there is no compassion felt towards any of the characters, except for maybe the little kid. Sometimes Everett is hilarious and fun, and other times he is acting crazy, stupid, and horrible. Like I said before, Madonna does the same thing. I haven't seen such lackluster character consistencies in a long time.

The other problem is that the movie is just boring. I had trouble paying attention to it because there was just nothing interesting going on. The screen might as well have just been black, and the words changed to "blah, blah, blah, blah." Okay, so maybe that's being a little too harsh, but it is obvious that The Next Best Thing doesn't have anything to offer.

The Next Best Thing is not the next best movie.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.