# Object of My Affection, The (1998)

### reviewed by
David Sunga

    THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION (1998)

    Rating: 2.0 stars (out of 4.0)
    ********************************
    Key to rating system:
    2.0 stars - Debatable
    2.5 stars - Some people may like it
    3.0 stars - I liked it
    3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie
    4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out
    *********************************
    A Movie Review by David Sunga

    Directed by: Nicholas Hytner

Written by: Wendy Wasserstein, from a novel by Stephen McCauley

Ingredients: Unsatisfying relationships, pregnant woman, gay man

    Starring:
    Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd

Synopsis: A young woman named Nina (Jennifer Aniston) is the fiancee of Vince (John Pankow). Meanwhile across town a young homosexual named George (Paul Rudd) is the lover of Joley (Tim Daly). But these are largely superficial, sexual relationships. One day at a party, Nina is attracted to George. When she learns that George needs a room, she invites him to share a two-bedroom apartment with her. Gay George breaks up with his boyfriend and moves in with heterosexual Nina.

Soon enough, Nina and George are blowing kisses at each other, and spending the night draped in each other's arms watching TV. When Nina gets pregnant, she announces to the father, Vince (paraphrased): "It's MY baby. I don't care if you're the father; I want you out of our lives so that George can raise the baby."

Vince agrees to stay away. Then Nina tries her best to turn George into a heterosexual, despite his orientation. Will she succeed?

Opinion: I watched Jennifer Aniston in PICTURE PERFECT. She gets to do more acting as Nina in THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION, but as a fan, I'd actually like to see Jen break out of the romance genre, and do an out-of-character role like Mira Sorvino's in REPLACEMENT KILLERS or Matt LeBlanc's Don West in LOST IN SPACE.

The intention of THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION is to give the audience the message that, "Sometimes in life events compel things beyond our control, and we must make the best of it, and isn't it surprising how life turns out after all these years?"

The problem is, Nina and George seem very much in control and not propelled by events, so the 'forces beyond our control' theme doesn't really work for THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION.

Nina, who already has a steady beau, meets complete stranger George at a party, and asks him to live with her, no questions asked. Why would she ask a stranger to move in without checking him out, if no normal person would? The next day Nina signs George up to be her permanent dance partner. What is she thinking?

Similarly, it's hard to see how a decidedly gay man with the honesty of George could kiss Nina repeatedly on the lips, allow Nina to fondle him, sleep in the same bed with her, let her unbutton his shirt, unzip his fly, lick his abdomen, and pretend he's not leading her on. She's just about to give him oral sex; why isn't he telling her he's gay? What's his big secret?

THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION tries to be a light comedy, but the characters and events are painful and thought-provoking. In THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION, Nina and George are apparently complicated people deliberately doing things that don't make any sense or might hurt, but the film tries to brush it off.

I wouldn't mind seeing a re-make of THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION. When characters are as deep as L.A. CONFIDENTIAL or THE ICE STORM, why not go for it, and go deep?

    Reviewed by David Sunga
    April 17, 1998

Copyright © 1998 by David Sunga This review and others like it can be found at THE CRITIC ZOO: http://www.criticzoo.com email: zookeeper@criticzoo.com

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