Revisiting The Next Best Thing

[dio2005 1,566]

I remember reading that there was trouble on set.  Apparently there was a leak online reporting the bad behaviour on set and called 'The Lourdes Diaries' supposedly written from a child point of view.  I've never read it, but would love to be able to.  Anybody here have them?

I know that John Schlesingers production notes are now held in the British Film Institute archives in London.  I hope one day to go and be able to read them and understand what really happened with the movie.

[Starchild 3,077]

of course, Madonna's number one problem with movies is that she never really understood how the movie industry works and that rules from the music industry don't apply in film making .. and that her status in the music industry didn't mean much in the movie industry so micromanaging everything wasn't an option, and she was just an actress hired for the role, not the producer or the director.

Dangerous Game really messed her up.

[itzjak 136]

Mmmmm I don't bought "The next best thing" soundtrack, it was too expensive in Mexico, even more than the "Music" album. The movie was promoted in various cinemas but never release I think. I saw the movie posters. Or maybe has it very limited release, who knows Two years later I saw the movie for the first time in HBO  and I think it was a nice movie and Madonna looked so beautiful. I never saw de movie again 

[cosmic_system 3,156]

The film is what it is, but still it spoke about  "unconventional family" before it became a standard for tv shows and movies. The soundtrack si FUCKING AMAZING. I was obessed back then and I'm still obsessed with it. 

[Drownedboy 1,676]

4 hours ago, Vasili said:

I believe John. Liz was paid to reply that way.

She obviously had that postproduction imaging applied to her face for her Die Another Day film scene.

The funny thing is that she looked quite senior on the movie itself (which is not a bad thing, bad the way)  LOL, but I mean, she was not that old,  I almost her age at the time she did the movie and without make up, filters, massages surgeries and all the cares I think I look younger than hers on that movie.

I read the role initially was made for a swimming teacher but she did not wanted to have anything to do with pools so she changed to yoga: wrong decition, made the character more like her, so the critics had more things to say against her.

 

[shakeyerdix 1,199]

This film is so so so shitty.

The only M film I saw on cinema and I was so ashamed when I saw it because I was more fan then ever in 1999 but the film was just shit and nothing else. But I'll defend Dangerous game and Swept away that can be saved in her cinema story. Actually the Ferrara movie is the only time she really played something and it's impressive at the end of the way. It's a good movie. She hates because she couldn't control anything and she was overwhelmed but fuck it, the result worth it ! Face it for godsake... In opposition to Body of evidence where she is just bad in her act.

Susan and WTG are important too.

All other movies can be forgotten for me. I adore Evita soundtrack but the movie in himself is absolutely failed, chaotic and uninteresting for me.

[Starchild 3,077]

This film is so so so shitty.
The only M film I saw on cinema and I was so ashamed when I saw it because I was more fan then ever in 1999 but the film was just shit and nothing else. But I'll defend Dangerous game and Swept away that can be saved in her cinema story. Actually the Ferrara movie is the only time she really played something and it's impressive at the end of the way. It's a good movie. She hates because she couldn't control anything and she was overwhelmed but fuck it, the result worth it ! Face it for godsake... In opposition to Body of evidence where she is just bad in her act.
Susan and WTG are important too.
All other movies can be forgotten for me. I adore Evita soundtrack but the movie in himself is absolutely failed, chaotic and uninteresting for me.

I don’t get how you can call Evita a creative ‘failure’ though?

[Prayer 14,369]

36 minutes ago, shakeyerdix said:

I adore Evita soundtrack but the movie in himself is absolutely failed, chaotic and uninteresting for me.

"Evita" chaotic? I get you don't like it and that's OK but chaotic? The narrative couldn't be more traditional: her life from being a little girl until the day she dies... with lots of events in between. Xd

I find weird the stories of "The Next Best Thing" set, Rupert Everett was incredibly bitchy about Madonna after and particularly about her acting in that movie, but never said anything about diva behavior (in fact he went against the director in some interviews, if I remember well). Same for Benjamin Bratt, he said she was super professional.

And about the beauty enhancements... look for any music video or movie from late 90 to all during the 00s, but especially in the early 00s. Even a then 20-year old Britney Spears was getting retouched on her videos!

[Ayham 5,483]

On 7/28/2022 at 3:23 PM, Prayer said:

 

 

Is this the official poster??? WTF with her face? 😯

[Ayham 5,483]

I remember when I became a hardcore fan, I used to say how good she is as an actor but in reality I was lying to myself lol! She a terrible fake actor (aside from Evita) she’s a losing card! She can’t act. That’s it! 🫠😬😅

[MDRA 4,223]

[Prayer 14,369]

22 minutes ago, Ayham said:

Is this the official poster??? WTF with her face? 😯

It was, yeah. I don't know, but it looks weird. And it's even different on the movie poster and the soundtrack album cover:

In some countries and home releases a different picture was used:

[survivalartist 6,480]

1 hour ago, Ayham said:

I remember when I became a hardcore fan, I used to say how good she is as an actor but in reality I was lying to myself lol! She a terrible fake actor (aside from Evita) she’s a losing card! She can’t act. That’s it! 🫠😬😅

I loved her in Dick Tracy and A League Of Their Own. I remember seeing A League Of Their Own at the shopping mall theater with my grandmother and she just loved it. 

[Ayham 5,483]

1 hour ago, DickTracy said:

I loved her in Dick Tracy and A League Of Their Own. I remember seeing A League Of Their Own at the shopping mall theater with my grandmother and she just loved it. 

Cute!!! 🥰 yeah those were ok but personally Madonna did only one movie EVITA! ✨👌🏼

[Ayham 5,483]

2 hours ago, Prayer said:

It was, yeah. I don't know, but it looks weird. And it's even different on the movie poster and the soundtrack album cover:

In some countries and home releases a different picture was used:

Funny how they didn’t play with his face… only her face. 💀

[rlittler81 1,601]

To me, the film will always be the reason we didn’t get a tour in 1999/2000. 

[Pootz333 2,691]

Yeah I definitely would have preferred a tour over the Ali express My Best Friend's Wedding.

If you ask a lot of people what their favorite M movie is, it's usually A League of Their Own.

Madonna's greatest role will always be MADONNA.

 

 

[cake 320]

Like all her movies The Next Best Thing is total camp fest and unintentionally hilarious. M going in and out of accents, turning gay man straight, The Lighting, The Yoga.. gotta love it M and Rupert Everett were cute together, i think he was even Lourdes' godfather

[Drownedboy 1,676]

When started that thing about her having to be an actress, in the very first place? Was she the one who wanted to become one? Even though she did many movies I still can´t think of her as actress, not even a singer or even a dancer. I mean, as much as I love her, to me she is, as she once said a performance artist, and she uses many media and expressions in order to do it. For sure she is a pop artist and an icon. But an actress? Did she had any formal training at some point?

[Alpha 1,180]

People always over exaggerated her bad acting. Could she be a bit stiff at times? Absolutely but i think that came way after she had the bad actress label. Even her acting in Shanghai Surprise and Body of Evidence wasnt bad. Shanghai was just a boring movie period add Sean Penn to that you even more negativity. BoE was just a copy of Basic Instinct. I think had social media been around then, hardcore Madonna fans would've bullied her to get an Oscar nom like Gaga. TNBT and Swept Away however had her constantly look like she was reading her lines trying to remember but I would assume at that point she had already let the bad actress label already scare and intimidate her.