The Object of My Affection (1998)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Nicholas Hytner

Writers (WGA):

Stephen McCauley (novel)
Wendy Wasserstein (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A love story that could only happen between best friends.

Plot:

A pregnant New York social worker begins to develop romantic feelings for her gay best friend, and decides she'd rather raise her child with him, much to the dismay of her overbearing boyfriend.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Interracial Relationship | Gay Interest | Male Female Relationship | Social Worker

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Paul Rudd	...	George Hanson
Kali Rocha	...	Melissa Marx
Jennifer Aniston	...	Nina Borowski
Lena Cardwell	...	Girl at Community Center
Natalie B. Kikkenborg	...	Girl at Community Center
Lauren Pratt	...	Sally Miller
Hayden Panettiere	...	Mermaid
Lauren Chen	...	Violin Player
Liam Aiken	...	Nathan
Alan Alda	...	Sidney Miller
Allison Janney	...	Constance Miller
Tim Daly	...	Dr. Robert Joley
Janet Zarish	...	Dinner Guest
Ellen Tobie	...	Dinner Guest
Virl Andrick	...	Dinner Guest

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Mexico:B | Norway:7 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Spain:7 | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Central Park Zoo, Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

George tells Nina that his date for his high school prom (the one to whom he showed a "good time") was named Lucy Jane. In a display of her offbeat sense of humor, that is the name of screenwriter Wendy Wasserstein's daughter.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene at the beginning, where Nathan and George were peeping out from behind the curtains at the school play, and Nathan asks who George is waiting for, Liam Aiken mouths Paul Rudd's next line.

Quotes:

Constance: Do you love him?
Nina: Yeah, whatever that means.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Will & Grace: Object of My Rejection (#1.22)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

She's So Crazy

Sensitive straight/gay romance pre-"Will & Grace"

Despite a downright peculiar finish which gives new meaning to the term 'feel-good', "The Object of My Affection" is a careful, perceptive and insightful comedy-drama about a straight woman and her gay-male best friend living together. Keeping the obvious sex-jokes at bay, the movie strives to create three-dimensional people and works most of the time. This is due in large part to Jennifer Aniston, an easy presence on the screen. The set-up is pure formula, but the results are occasionally offbeat, squirrelly, sometimes funny and moving. Story thread with Nigel Hawthorne as an elderly gay man who gets dumped-on shows the casual cruelty inherent in gay relationships, and this is handled with quiet taste. Not everything works in "Affection", but it is remarkably pleasant and (for better or worse) hetero-friendly. *** from ****