The Object of My Affection (1998)

I especially liked the performance of Nigel Hawthorne in this movie as Rodney, the companion of a friend. Jennifer Aniston is delightful, and Paul Rudd is a treat as well. Jennifer and Paul have great chemistry together, and although the story is a bit sad, it is an entertaining and light comedy. Watch with someone you love!

Fmovies: I wanted to see this movie for such a long time but I didn't get to rent it until today. I saw The Cider House Rules (excellent movie!) last night and liked Paul Rudd very much. So I finally got to rent it. This is a sweet movie with a good balance of funny and serious moments. Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd are great just like the rest of the cast and I think the 2 had a great chemistry together.

What I liked most about this movie is the way they portrayed gays. Usually, in Hollywood films they are just minor characters to get some laughs and they are sometimes shown as totally wacky persons like the character of Nathan Lane in The Birdcage (which by the way is a funny movie). But in this movie, we see that gay people can be "normal" with an everyday job and feelings just like any other person. Paul Rudd played George as such an ordinary man and his character was so much more besides being gay. George was a sensitive and loving young man. More movies should follow this example.

A great movie I definitely wanna watch again. I rate it 8/10.

The Object of My Affection is a very realistic movie about a woman who finds a good-looking gay man attractive. Paul Rudd is particularly fine as the man who befriends Jennifer Aniston's character. She is very much disappointed in her old boyfriend's faithless attitude towards her. Paul Rudd's character is fun to be with and, even though they have no sexual encounters, they are both very good friends. Paul Rudd's character finds an attractive young man and falls in love. This upsets Jennifer Aniston's character. She should have seen it coming. The ending is quite wonderful in that all are able to remain good friends.

The Object of My Affection fmovies. Being a gay man myself and having had a similar relationship with a woman, I found the film very moving and beautifully done.

It's amazing how this sensitive film can be realistic all the time. Although this is, indeed, a love story, there's no need to give the viewer happy solutions just to make them fulfilled. Every second of the movie is real, every emotion, every fact. Justice to Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. There's an amazing cast here, including Mad About You's John Pankow and veteran Alan Alda (all great) but the movie belongs to Jennifer and Paul. They make you think no one else could do a better portrait of Nina and George - they were born to do it. Anyone can relate to them at some point. Congratulations not only for the two, but also for the entire crew who made this movie - including, of course, the great sensibility of director Nicholas Hytner. A job well done.

The Object of My Affection is rather heavily aimed at a gay audience - at least it seems that way to me. It retains quite a theatrical feel; there is always the feeling that the director is conscious this is a performance, and it's not given the "natural" or "polished" feel that accompanies so many Hollywood movies. Paul Rudd is perhaps just a little camp of centre for the role of George - he is supposed to be interested in the female lead, after all. However, it's a tricky balancing act, because if he becomes too convincingly involved, he becomes the bad guy, so it's perhaps just as well. Some very classy moments come from his deriding of ex lover Professor Joelly, and some great gay stereotypes are held up for examination along the way. Particularly amusing was Paul's blind date with the Village People wannabe ear nose and throat specialist, and of course, the incredibly self-serving Joelly. Perhaps surprisingly, the strongest performance of the piece comes from Friends star Jennifer Anniston. Struck by the love bug, she admirably portrays the lover in the bedroom next door, and I defy anyone not to be moved by her character's deepest lows. No review of this film would be complete without mention of Nigel Hawthorne, who very nearly steals the limelight from Anniston with his marvelously opinionated (but very likeable) literary critic, forced to share the love of his life. Simply put, he's brilliant. So why does The Object deserve a 10 in my opinion? In the end, the relationships in the movie don't come down to gay or straight, or anything one can label. They're honest to goodness relationships between people - and that's why there is an element of doubt as to who will end up where - at least part of the way through. That's why despite it's light feel, it has the ability to evoke some really deep feelings of tragedy in just the right places. It's everything you wouldn't expect, which is a wonderful breath of fresh air.