Critics Ebert and Berardinelli often seem like they wrote their reviews at the same time, in the same coat closet. But not "The Next Best Thing" where they came away in opposite camps. And perhaps therein lies the problem with this film. It depends on your predisposition. I can't understand the 12% or so of the clearly BOGUS votes of "1". Those viewers show no ability to analyze and rate a film. The median vote on IMDb of "6" is about right.
It also gets weary hearing every other "user review" slam Madonna's acting. The truth is she has become a fairly good actress, and better than some who are earning good livings at it. Her big problem has been with the roles she has chosen. Given a decent role, and above-average direction (not her husband, Guy Ritchie), she is a fine actress, although she will never challenge Streep or Foster as one of the superb actresses of our time.
In this film, where she apparently has a child by her best friend, a flaming gay guy (real gay Rupert Everett), while they are both drunk, they decide to raise the son togther, until her true love (Ben Bratt) happens along. A custody fight gets ugly, because she wants to move from Calif to NY, then it comes to light that another guy is the biological father all along. Some real issues that sometimes real families have to resolve.
My only real complaint is that Madonna's and Bratt's characters seem to totally gloss over the meeting, courting, and falling in love process. In this film it happens almost instantly with no indication of weeks or months passing, and it comes off as very phony to me. Aside from that, it is a fairly interesting film.
