Review: The Object of My Affection (1998)

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The Object of My Affection

Rating

Director

Nicholas Hytner

Screenplay

Wendy Asserstein (Novel: Stephen McCauley)

Length

1h 51m

Starring

Paul Rudd, Kali Rocha, Jennifer Aniston, Lauren Pratt, Liam Aiken, Alan Alda, Allison Janney, Tim Daly

MPAA Rating

Buy/Rent Movie

Soundtrack

Poster

Source Material

Basic Plot

A Kindergarten teacher and a social worker are unlikely friends until the social worker falls in love with the teacher. There’s only one problem. He’s gay.

Review

Paul Rudd is Kindergarten teacher George Hanson. His life was perfect, or so he thought. While at a dinner party hosted by one of his kids’ parents, he meets Nina Borowski, a social worker, who inadvertently tells him of his impending break up with his boyfriend, Robert Joley (Tim Daly). This is news to him and from there on a friendship forms with this new acquaintance.

Nina is engaged to a man her parents think isn’t good enough for her. George’s brother tries to fix him up with a ear-nose-throat specialist who has a penchant for leatherwear.

To make matters worse, after he moves in with her and goes out dancing with her on a regular basis, her fiancé gets a bit jealous of this gay man who’s doing what he should be doing: living with her.

Push comes to shove. Dates are made and broken and various interesting situations befall the two. Little does she know, but Nina has fallen in love with him and after she discovers her pregnancy, she becomes more entranced when he agrees to be the child’s father figure.

Nicholas Hytner takes a rather pedestrian approach to direction. He too often lets his cast get out of his hands and forgets when to move things along.

Jennifer Aniston shines in a role that should make her Friends cast members jealous. She has a certain charm that makes you feel for her despite knowing what will likely happen in the end.

Paul Rudd is enchanting. He brings a succint and proper attitude to a not-so-needy gay character that easily combats the traditional stereotype. He downplays enough situations and reacts brilliantly in some scenes to allow his character to come through easily.

Nigel Hawthrone plays Rodney Fraser whose live-in student falls in love with George despite Rodney’s feelings for him. Hawthorne acts brilliantly and easily outdoes the rest of the cast. This is probably his most significant achievement since his astounding turn in The Madness of King George. He brings a great deal of humanity to his character and makes it very easy to care when he gets hurt.

The rest of the cast works on a standard level to an inventive screenply if not one that oftens falls a bit flat.

If you’re a fan of gay films, this is one that you should check out. While not as hilarious as last year’s In & Out, it slips past 1995’s Jeffrey in quality and entertainment.