There is no social compact, no ritual moment, no pledge of loyalty to tie friends together or hold their relationship in place. Yet they are there for each other when love affairs end and work loses it savor. Can friendship, like love, bear all things, endure all things? That is the fascinating question at the core of The Next Best Thing directed by John Schlesinger and written by Tom Ropelewski.
Robert (Rupert Everett) and Abbie (Madonna) are best friends and have been for years. He's a gardener and she's a yoga teacher. When Kevin (Michael Vartan), her boyfriend of two years, dumps her, she turns to Robert for support. He believes that Abbie sells herself short. At one point, he humorously tells her: "You're the only woman in the world I'd like to be." Robert, you see, is gay.
Following the funeral of a friend of theirs who dies of AIDS, they get drunk and have sex. Nine months later, when Abbie gives birth to a baby, they decide to raise the child together. They don't get married but take great pride in their unconventional family. Everything goes well for six years until Abbie falls in love with Ben (Benjamin Bratt), an investment banker from New York. He wants to marry her and relocate to the East, separating Sam (Malcolm Stumpf) from his loving father. This leads to a custody battle in California where the deck is stacked against Robert.
The Next Best Thing works as both a comedy and a drama because of the endearing and lively performance by Rupert Everett. He proves that his charismatic presence in My Best Friend's Wedding was no fluke. Friendship is a resilient and abiding bond that can carry people over troubled waters. That is the buoyant message of this uplifting film.