# Object of My Affection, The (1998)

### reviewed by
Liz Rizzo

    THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION (1998)
    A film review by Liz Rizzo
    Copyright 1998 by Liz Rizzo

    Rating *** 1/2 out of ****

Starring Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd, Alan Alda, Allison Janney, Timothy Daly, John Pankow, Steve Zahn, Nigel Hawthorne and Amo Gulinello Written by Stephen McCauley (novel) and Wendy Wasserstein Directed by Nicholas Hytner Produced by 20th Century Fox [US] and distributed by 20th Century Fox Film Corp. [US]

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. And if "The Object of My Affection" was a chain, it would be a strong one. Of all the things I like about this film, and there are a lot, the large and outstanding supporting cast is by far the most notable. Our main characters, Nina Borowski and George Hanson, are played wonderfully and realistically by Jennifer Aniston in her best role yet and Paul Rudd, who I personally enjoyed in "Clueless." Alan Alda is full of funny lines as Nina's book agent brother-in-law, Sidney Miller, and Allison Janney is hilarious as his wife and Nina's half-sister, Constance Miller, a woman with firm ideas about how things should be. Of all the supporting roles, she was my absolute favorite. Timothy Daly is effective as Dr. Robert Joley, George's initial, self-centered love interest. And John Pankow turns in an excellent performance as Nina's boyfriend, Vince McBride, who develops into much more as the film progresses. He successfully meets the challenge of creating a guy who isn't simply the bad guy, but rather is just not Nina's idea of a perfect match. Real people break up because they don't get along with each other, not because one is an obvious loser. It is a credit to the script that Vince is a real person, not just the jerk boyfriend. Other excellent performances are given by Amo Gulinello, Kevin Carroll, Marilyn Dobrin, Steve Zahn and Nigel Hawthorne, who is excellent as an aging gay man and Nina's voice of reason. This film is stuffed full of interesting people, and the script manages them effortlessly.

Another thing I enjoyed is that these characters have jobs, and they actually work! OK, they all have incredibly happy, politically-correct jobs - even Vince is a public defender - but we get to see them working nonetheless. Since the average person works over 40 hours a week, it's nice to feel that what we do with the majority of our lives is worthy of film. I like to see characters working just like real people. Well, almost like real people.

In fact, when we first meet George he is directing a performance at the elementary school where he teaches. The Miller's daughter is a student there and a performer in the show, which leads to George and Dr. Joley going to dinner at the Miller's that night. Nina and George meet and bond, and when it becomes apparent that George will be needing a new place to live, Nina jumps at the chance to get a roommate to live in her spare bedroom, and one who is a respected teacher and friend of the family, no less. This leads to a beautiful friendship, the basis of the whole film.

The conflict arises when Nina becomes pregnant and asks her best friend, George, to stay with her permanently and act as a father figure. Needless to say, this norm-defying decision sends waves through Nina's circle of friends and relatives. Most upset is Vince, the father of the child, who upon being told that Nina would rather be with George than him, immediately assumes he is being pushed completely out of the picture and storms off. And of course, Constance, not one to be into alternative living arrangements, is completely against the setup. The truth she sees though, is that Nina is falling in love with George, and we all know that can only lead to trouble.

The beauty of `The Object of My Affection,' is that it sets up complex personal issues, and it doesn't back away for a minute; it lets them play out. For example, there is a scene where Nina and George come close to physical intimacy. And we think, what are they doing? Is George leading Nina on? Yes, although I'm sure he's not thinking straight at the moment. Is Nina fooling herself? Obviously. Could this happen in real life? Yes, I'm sure it does. I find that films are often criticized when characters are written realistically and allowed to do the crazy things we do but don't like to admit. Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz found this out in `My Best Friend's Wedding.' People complained about the girl who would quit college to get married and the strong, single woman who still would drop everything to pursue a man, yet I could introduce you to plenty of women just like Julianne and Kimmy. It can be inspiring when characters are role models, but it's OK (and at times refreshing) for characters to represent real people, too.

And while `The Object of My Affection' may not be `As Good as it Gets,' it does set up surprisingly delightful scenes and then let the audience sit back and enjoy them, much as that excellent film did. It also benefits from excellent editing (I loved how Nina and George's friendship was developed through dance) and scene segues, not to mention it's FUNNY. At one point I missed two lines because the audience was laughing so loud. Four words: Mothers of Latino Lesbians.

Not content to be simply funny and heartwarming, however, `The Object of My Affection' has a thesis, and it is this: You should find one person in life to love as a partner and try to make it work with them. I, and probably some cultures who practice polygamy, don't blindly accept this simple assertion as necessarily true, but I'm sure it appeals to the majority. Personally, I found myself wondering why George's new boyfriend, Paul James played by Amo Gulinello, didn't simply move in with them. Although they would have needed a bigger place! And Nina did need to release and grow past her romantic love for George, who despite his dalliance with Nina, is gay. I do like how `The Object of My Affection' embraces the time-tested notion of monogamy while incorporating all of the idiosyncrasies of life today: homosexuality, divorce, interracial relationships, etc. Although that last one is thrown in a bit gratuitously.

If there is a major flaw in this film, it is that the ending is too easy and too perfect. In the end, everyone has someone and happiness is delivered wrapped up nicely with a pretty bow. That being said, I have to admit I loved it. Children singing `Gotta Be.' Nina's daughter Molly, played by Sarah Hyland, saying that she had more people come see her in the school show than anyone because of the extended family Nina has built around herself. A perfect picture of how we can create a village of friends and family through acceptance and open-mindedness. This is Nina's world, and it is a pretty perfect place by the end of the film. So what. I wouldn't mind living there myself. It sometimes seems that people would rather see films where unrealistic characters exist in realistic settings. As though to ask, what would a perfect person do in my world? Straight realism aside, I would rather see realistic people existing in a more perfect world. As if to say, if we all tried a little harder, how could it be? I hope we get there some day.

    Liz Rizzo
    lizriz@sprynet.com

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