The Object of My Affection is a 1998 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner. It stars Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd, along with Allison Janney, Alan Alda, Nigel Hawthorne, John Pankow, and Tim Daly. The film was based on a novel of the same name by Stephen McCauley, and the screenplay was written by Wendy Wasserstein. The story follows a New York social worker who becomes pregnant by her boyfriend and begins to develop romantic feelings for her new gay roommate. She decides she would rather raise her child with him.
The film was filmed in 1997 in different places in New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut. It received mixed reviews and was a moderate box office success, making $46.9 million at the box office, compared to a production budget of $15 million.
Plot
Social worker Nina Borowski lives in an apartment in Brooklyn. Nina goes to a party hosted by her stepsister, Constance, and Constance’s husband, Sidney. At the party, Nina meets George Hanson, a young first-grade teacher who is gay, and his boyfriend, Dr. Robert Joley. Nina tells George that her stepsister tries to match her with someone from a wealthy family because she does not approve of Nina’s boyfriend, Vince. Nina offers George a room in her apartment after learning from Robert that George needs a place to live. George is surprised and sad because he did not expect this, and after the party, he and Nina separate. George accepts Nina’s offer and moves into her apartment.
The two become close friends, watching movies and going ballroom dancing together. When Nina announces she is pregnant, the baby’s father, Vince, wants to marry her, but she refuses, and they end their relationship. George agrees to help raise the child. For a while, they live together happily in Nina’s apartment until Nina realizes her feelings for George are growing, especially after he mentions he had a girlfriend in high school, which makes her think they might become romantic.
One day, George and Nina kiss and begin to grow closer when George receives a phone call from Robert, who says he misses George and invites him to spend the weekend with him. George is confused but agrees to go. Nina feels rejected and jealous. During the weekend, George and Robert do not get back together, but George meets Paul James, a young actor, and they become interested in each other. Meanwhile, Nina stays with Constance at a vacation home and feels very upset. She decides to return home on a late bus and calls George to join her, but he chooses to stay with Paul. On the way back, Nina’s purse is stolen, and a kind police officer, Louis, gives her a ride home.
Nina invites Paul and Paul’s older acting mentor, Rodney, to Thanksgiving after a tense brunch with George, George’s brother Frank, and Frank’s new fiancée. Later that evening, Paul stays with George, which causes a serious argument between George and Nina, and Rodney is upset.
At Frank’s wedding, Nina and George continue their conversation. Nina tells George how she feels about him. George, who cares about Nina as a close friend, explains that he wants to be with Paul. A few hours later, Nina gives birth to a baby girl named Molly. Vince is very happy and visits Nina in the hospital, but when he leaves to complete paperwork, Nina and George are left alone with Molly. Nina asks George to move out of her apartment before she returns from the hospital, explaining it would hurt her too much to have him stay while knowing he does not love her the same way.
Eight years later, at George’s school, everyone watches Molly perform in a musical that George directed. George is now the school’s principal, Nina is in a relationship with Louis, and George is still with Paul. Rodney is also there and is still considered part of the family by Louis and Nina. Nina, George, and young Molly (who calls George “Uncle George”) walk together, holding hands, on their way to get coffee and talk.
Production
In the late 1980s, Paramount Pictures bought the rights to McCauley's book. In 1993, Nicholas Hytner was hired as director. Winona Ryder was offered the role of Nina but refused it, so Uma Thurman was cast to act with Keanu Reeves. Paramount stopped the project in November 1996, and later Reeves and Thurman also left. Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd were cast instead.
The filming took place from June to July 1997 in New York.
Release
The Object of My Affection was released in U.S. theaters on April 17, 1998. During its opening weekend, the film earned $9,725,855, ranking second at the box office in 1,890 theaters, with an average of $5,146 per theater. In total, the film made $29,187,243 in the United States over five weekends. It also played in European countries during the fall and winter of 1998, earning $17,718,646 internationally.
Critics had mixed opinions about the film. Roger Ebert gave it two stars, stating that while the movie addresses real issues and has some effective scenes, the story feels overly planned, making it hard to believe the characters act freely. Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle noted that the film sometimes becomes too clever, but this was a minor issue compared to its many strengths.
On the review website Rotten Tomatoes, 52% of 58 critics gave positive reviews, with an average score of 5.8 out of 10. The site’s summary said the film has heartfelt performances from Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd but struggles with forced plot elements and overly sentimental moments. Metacritic, which calculates scores based on weighted averages, gave the film a score of 51 out of 100, based on 18 critics, reflecting "mixed or average" reviews.
The film was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film (Wide Release). Nigel Hawthorne won the London Critics Circle Film Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year.