The Next Best Thing

The Next Best Thing

Best friends make the best mistakes

Directed by John Schlesinger

Produced by Paramount Pictures, Lakeshore Entertainment

2000108 min5.2 / 10

A warm-hearted comedy-drama about unconventional family bonds tested by love and custody, balancing humor with genuine emotional stakes.

A comedy-drama about best friends - one a straight woman, Abbie, the other a gay man, Robert - who decide to have a child together. Five years later, Abbie falls in love with a straight man and wants to move away with her and Robert's little boy Sam, and a nasty custody battle ensues.

Questions people ask

  • Is The Next Best Thing violent? Barely. Less violent than 86% of films.

  • Is The Next Best Thing easy watching? Yes. More comforting than 77% of films.

  • Is The Next Best Thing scary? Not especially. Less frightening than 65% of films.

  • Does The Next Best Thing end with hope? Somewhat. More hopeful than 65% of films.

  • Is The Next Best Thing sad? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

9/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

Conventional, and it does not land.

Rarity22

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise3

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love5

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Everything like The Next Best Thing, and what each one shares →

Like The Next Best Thing

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as The Next Best Thing

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like The Next Best Thing, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like The Next Best Thing, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like The Next Best Thing, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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