The Object of My Affection

Director: Nicholas Hytner
Cast:
Jennifer Aniston
Paul Rudd
Alan Alda
Nigel Hawthorne
Tim Daly

In a plot twist that is sure to define the late '90s (and will remind some of the antithesis of Chasing Amy), Jennifer Aniston plays a woman who falls in love with her best friend (Paul Rudd), who is, of course, gay. When Aniston gets pregnant by her mean-spirited dork of a boyfriend, she resolves to have Rudd play surrogate father, but ain't that a lot of responsibility to throw on a roommate?

The movie's best quality, in a sort of perverse way, is that it keeps you guessing as to how predictable the screenwriters are. Things are set up, hinted at, suggested, but you never know if it's going to go the way you think. Of course, this is a Hollywood blockbuster, so in the end, things do end up by the letter, but the ride can be invigorating.

Another unintentionally interesting facet of "Affection" is the seeming duality it presents to an American audience not quite willing to see homosexuality portrayed as normal. Suggesting that much of a marriage is platonic, there's no reason two human beings, regardless of sexual orientation, could share an "agape" sexless love for one another forever. But the film's conclusion implies that straights and gays are just different kinds of people when it comes to cross-dating; it can't work, you can't change what your soul longs for. An interesting theory to be sure, but this movie ain't smart enough to exploit it; the ending is designed to keep everyone happy, which it does, I guess, but the debates are a lot more fun.

With John Pankow, Alan Alda, Allison Janney,Timothy Daly and Nigel Hawthorne.

—Ian Williams

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