Ah, Bridget, how we’ve missed you!
As an unapologetic fan of the film franchise, I was ecstatic about the announcement of this film. Yet, after the sequel teetered on the edge of mediocrity, I was apprehensive. Ideas like this usually result in a muddled mismatch of aging actors playing the same characters as they did decades ago, with minimum character development and maximum nostalgic value. Thankfully, ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ doesn’t fall into that category.
The film follows a now forty-something Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger), still unlucky in love and singing along to ‘All By Myself’ despite being in a committed relationship with the dreamy Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) some twelve years prior. We join Bridget as she has finally reached her goal weight and is proud of her career accomplishments, but is lacking one thing: love. (Cliche? Yes. Enjoyable? Absolutely.) Long story short, she meets the wealthy Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey) at a music festival and spends the night with him. Then, a few days later, rekindles her romance with Mark at a friend’s party. She discovers that she’s pregnant and, after a hilarious meeting with an obstetrician (Emma Thompson), realises that either man could be the father – setting into motion the main driving plot of the film.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Though the plot wasn’t anything new and the film’s events were relatively formulaic, the dire for (Sharon Maguire – of the original film) didn’t rely on nostalgia to propel the plot forward and attempted to make a worthwhile contribution to the franchise. The film was aplenty with both swoon-worthy romantic moments and side-splitting comedy, functioning as the perfect romcom. The makers of this film were also clever in that they were able to confuse the viewer regarding which man to root for, weaving between the attributes of the two while planting niggling doubts in the viewer’s mind about both Mark and Jack. Characterisation was paramount in this film, and it is what it excelled in.
Despite the ever-present controversy surrounding Zellweger’s appearance, she delved into this role whole-heartedly. Within the first few minutes it was evident that the old Bridget was back, with Zellweger once again perfecting her English accent and adopting Bridget’s clumsy mannerisms. Firth was as charming as ever, adapting his character to his aging state and translating fairly well. Dempsey was a bit too sickly sweet for my taste, capitalising on the gentlemanly aspects of his character but never quite convincing me that he was a better choice than Firth.
Overall, I loved this movie. It delivers just the right amount of classic Bridget whilst effectively bringing her into the modern age, crafting romantic tension that made sense. For its intended purpose, it excels. I’ll give it four out of five popcorns.
(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
Girl with the Popcorn 