The Next best thing

Set in California,” The Next best thing” is a drama that attempts to address issues such as gay parenting and the role of alternative family units that exist outside of the dominant nuclear arrangement. Abbie (Madonna) is a yoga teacher approaching forty, frustrated by unsuccessful relationships and who feels that her opportunities for having a child are quickly diminishing. Robert (Rupert Everett) her best friend, is a gay landscape gardener who provides emotional support to Abbie on a regular basis. One night the two get drunk, sleep together, Abbie falls pregnant and after much procrastination they decide to live together and raise the child as co-parents. Complications ensue when Abbie falls for a merchant banker who wishes to move his new family to the east coast. A melodrama that at times panders to gross gay stereotypes, such as the drug loving homosexual male and materialistic queens, the film does present the notion that families in the modern age are also made up of friends and lovers, often closer and more sympathetic to individuals than their own biological family members. Features two songs from Madonna on the soundtrack and cast includes Illeana Douglas and Lynn Redgrave.