Madonna plays a single woman who has a baby with her gay best friend (Rupert Everett). Five years later, when she moves on to other romances, a nasty custody battle ensues. Suzanne Krull, Benjamin Bratt, Illeana Douglas, Stacy Edwards, Josef Summer, Kimberley Davies, Michael Vartan and Neil Patrick Harris also star. John Schlesinger will direct from Tom Ropelewski and Rupert Everett’s screenplay..
Capsule Review: There are some good ethical issues raised in this film, but The Next Best Thing doesn’t have the strength to face them. The characters move from situation to situation unconvincingly, and by the time the contrived ending rolls around, all interest has been lost.