Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (2025)

Coming along after three movies of varying quality (the superb "Diary", the lacklustre "Edge Of Reason", and the enjoyable "Baby" adventure), Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy has been pitched as a welcome return of a beloved female character that all women are eager to catch up with. It's more than that though. This is the return of a British institution, an iconic British woman (albeit played by an American) who yearns for a dash of the kind of romance that often feels left in the past while striding bravely through every pitfall of the modern world. Each movie is, at the very least, a great mix of comedy and comfort, and there's a fantastic selection of British acting talent on display (many of them reprising their roles here, even if only for a brief moment).

Time has moved along, and life continues to deny Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger again, as if there could be a replacement for her at this stage) any kind of permanent happiness, or so it seems. She now has two children (Mabel, played by Mila Jankovic, and the older Billy Darcy, played by Casper Knopf), but her life has a Mark Darcy-shaped hole in it. There's still the occasional flirting from Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant, once again at his caddish best), but things finally start to look up when Bridget tries out Tinder and meets a young man named Roxster (Leo Woodall). Meanwhile, the children aren't always doing well, especially Billy, and this leads to a number of uncomfortable encounters with a new teacher, Mr. Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

While the director of To Leslie doesn't really feel like a natural fit for this material, it turns out that making that assumption would just make an ass out of us and Michael Morris. Morris has the good sense to not get in the way of a talented cast all having fun with the screenplay co-written by Dan Mazer, Abi Morgan, and, of course, Helen Fielding, adapting her own novel. There's everything you want in terms of amusing embarrassments, satisfying swearing, and fine comedy moments, but Morris does a great job of balancing everything out with a more serious central strand exploring loss and how to keep moving forward when the destination ahead seems to have nothing there for you.

Zellweger continues to shine in the role that she'll be identified with for all time, and she seems natural and effortless onscreen in a way that seems to convey her own love for the character. Jankovic and Knodf are solid child actors, the former involved in more of the sequences that cause our heroine to get a red face, and everyone else onscreen, old or new, feels like a perfect addition to this (final?) chapter. Woodall is helped by the fact that he has scenes that show off the affect he has on others around him, especially in a sequence that has him arriving late to a party just in time to act the hero, Ejiofor is playing the typical hard-shelled individual with the soft centre, and both Firth and Grant continue to be delightful in their respective roles. Emma Thompson, Sally Phillips, James Callis, Shirley Henderson, Neil Pearson, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Joanna Scanlan, Celia Imrie, Nico Parker, Claire Skinner, Sarah Solemani, Josette Simon, and Leila Farzad are all wonderful, not one of them letting the side down, and I'm probably still forgetting one or two people I will later kick myself for not mentioning. It's a shame that Isla Fisher is only seen for mere seconds, and I suspect some of her work may have ended up on the cutting-room floor, but such an abundance of riches makes that much easier to accept.

I went into this hoping to enjoy it. I came out of the cinema knowing that it was easily my second favourite of the foursome. I can imagine many other people will feel the same. What could have felt lazy and by-the-numbers instead turns out to be as surprising, in terms of the themes being satisfactorily explored, as it is satisfying and eager to meet all expectations. The only downside is that I would now welcome another cinematic journey through a new Bridget diary, but I also know that this is just about the most perfect ending that we could all have wished for.

8/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing, and ALL of the links you need are here - https://linktr.ee/raidersofthepodcast
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)

Here we go again. With no disrespect intended to anyone involved, Bridget Jones's Baby is a sequel that feels like you have to see it out of a sense of obligation, as opposed to it being something you were really waiting on for years. It's much like the second film, which was a pale imitation of the first film, and that is both a positive and negative.

In case you couldn't tell from the vague title, Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger again, of course) finds herself pregnant. It usually takes two to tango but Bridget, as different as ever, has decided to complicate matters. The baby may have been fathered by Mark (Colin Firth again) OR a handsome American chap named Jack (Patrick Dempsey). Deciding not to tell either man about her lack of certainty, Bridget goes through her pregnancy while trying to keep her secret. Thankfully, she has a very accommodating doctor (Emma Thompson) willing to help her. But the truth will need to come out eventually. I know what viewers will be hoping to see happen by the time the end credits roll, but is that the kind of happy ending that Bridget can get?

Look, I've reviewed the first and second movie already, so the easiest thing to do here would be to copy bits from those reviews and place them here. The main characters of Bridget and Mark are essentially the same, just a bit older, and the comedy generally works, even during the times when it seems that Bridget is about to crumble under the weight of her situation.

Director Sharon Maguire, who helmed the first film, returns, and she has a better feel for the tone and characters than Beeban Kidron seemed to in the previous outing. It helps that she's working from a better script too, this time Helen Fielding and Dan Mazer are joined in the writing department by Thompson (which MAY help to explain why she almost steals the show with her few scenes but, then again, Thompson is just always that good). There aren't too many moments that are outright hilarious but there are plenty of little chuckles supplied in between the few bigger laughs.

Zellweger and Firth know their characters very well, and have always felt like perfect casting in those roles, so they slip back into things with ease. Dempsey is a great addition, considerate and caring and seemingly perfect in a way that very much irritates Firth's character, and I just mentioned Thompson almost stealing the show. The rest of the cast crop up for moments that show their characters are still around, Hugh Grant aside, so you once again get to see Gemma Jones, Jim Broadbent, Sally Phillips, Shirley Henderson, James Callis, Jessica Hynes, Neil Pearson, Joanna Scanlan, and a few other familiar faces.

Still not as good as the first movie, this is a slight step up from the second film and at least provides a better ending to the Bridget Jones saga, as far as I'm concerned. I hope they can now leave these characters were they are. But I know I'll end up watching the next movie if they decide to make another one.

7/10

You can buy the boxset here.
Americans can buy it here.

Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason (2004)

I really disliked Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason when I first saw it. It spent too much time either being completely ridiculous (a plot point that sees Bridget jailed in Thailand) or just rehashing moments that were done better the first time around. Watching it now, I don't mind it too much. It still suffers from the same failings, especially the ridiculousness of that Thailand section, but the worst thing about it is really that it's just not the first film, despite trying hard to be.

At the start of the movie we see Bridget (Renee Zellweger) enjoying a happy life with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Unfortunately, that happiness doesn't look like it will last forever. Bridget is insecure, still as accident-prone as ever, and she once again ends up with the predatory Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) in her life. Can she make it through a difficult time, or will she give in to that inner voice of hers that is often spectacularly wrong in the viewpoint and advice it provides?

Directed by Beeban Kidron, this is a film that seems to struggle to find a proper identity. Much like the central character, it's not sure where it really fits in. In trying to both give audiences what they enjoyed so much the first time around while also adding some new adventures, it falters and stumbles from one set-piece to the next. The script, by Helen Fielding (who wrote the source material), Adam Brooks, Richard Curtis, and Andrew Davies, has too few moments of decent dialogue, instead relying on the familiarity and appeal of the main characters to carry things along.

The main plus point is that those main characters DO appeal. This remains the best role that Zellweger has had, perhaps simply due to it being the most fun and (for many) identifiable, and she slips back into the character like a favourite outfit. Firth does his strong-jawed noble act again, few do it better, and Grant is as amusing as he usually is, especially when in full on devilish mode. As well as the leads, most of the supporting players return (some getting more screentime than others) so it really feels like the whole gang is back together, which makes this an easy choice for comfort viewing. Jacinda Barrett and Joe Nicholls is the main new face, and they both provide some interesting twists. There's also a fun little turn from Jessica Hynes, no twists there but always good to see her onscreen.

The pop soundtrack, the fun escapades, the cast of well-to-do characters dealing with problems that help everyone forget the burning hellhole of the real world around us, there's nothing here to outright hate (unless you hated the first film). But there's nothing here to outright celebrate either. It's just there, bringing no advancement to the story or characters that we all enjoyed the first time around, and seeming to have no purpose other than selling repackaged boxsets featuring the first film alongside it. And yes, I bought the boxset.

6/10

You can buy the movies here.

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

A top-tier entry in the selection of British rom-coms from the past few decades, Bridget Jones's Diary is the film that made everyone fall in love with Renée Zellweger, reminded everyone of their love for Colin Firth, and once again showed off the comedy chops of Hugh Grant.

The fairly light plot involves Bridget, a young woman who is keen to change her life for the better. She wants to lose some weight, quit smoking, and land a good boyfriend. Unfortunately, she has a habit of not helping herself in these matters, sometimes accidentally and sometimes not. She is unimpressed when she meets Mark Darcy (Firth) at a Christmas party, despite the fact that he is, well, Colin Firth, and eventually ends up having some fun with her work colleague, and charming rogue, Daniel Cleaver (Grant). Things may seem like they're going her way but there are some obstacles on the way to true happiness, or at least a satisfyingly happy ending to this movie.

Directed by Sharon Maguire, Bridget Jones's Diary holds up as well nowadays as it did when first released back at the turn of the 21st century. Critics could argue that it's a horrible fantasy, pandering to international audiences with scenes of snow-covered and picturesque pockets of England, upper-class Brits going through their angst while not having any real cause for worry (certainly compared to many others), and a problematic female icon who seems to look in all the wrong places for solutions to her problems. Fans might refute those accusations by saying that those aspects make the movie as enjoyable as it is. It IS a fantasy, it IS people dealing with problems unlike the standard problems that many of us have (although I am sure that we've all had our moments of unrequited love and/or loneliness), and the central character being problematic is better than watching yet another flawless starlet pretending that her life is unravelling around her while she continues to do everything right until the world around her finally delivers the good karma that everyone knows she will be due.

The script, written by Helen Fielding (who also wrote the popular source novel, of course), Andrew Davies, and Richard Curtis, is full of classic rom-com moments and some wonderful dialogue, whether it's Bridget narrating her diary entries or awkward exchanges between her and Mr Darcy. You could do a lot worse if you ever wanted to dissect a script that brilliantly sketches a number of main characters while delivering quality laughs in most scenes. Things rattle along perfectly, and you get a selection of pretty good pop hits on the soundtrack helping everything along.

Despite a career that has seen her give a number of great performances, Zellweger may never escape from her role of Bridget (a role she has now played in three movies). She's brilliant in the role, authentic and appealing, helped by the fact that she manages to also put on a very good English accent. Firth does his stoic act with aplomb, making it all the more amusing when he has an angry outburst that leads to a hugely entertaining fight scene, and Grant is probably as hilarious as he's ever been (and he has made me laugh a lot in so many of his roles). Gemma Jones and Jim Broadbent are both excellent as Bridget's parents, Shirley Henderson, Sally Phillips, and James Callis are all fun as Bridget's main three friends, and there are wonderful turns from Neil Pearson, Felicity Montagu, Paul Brooke, Celia Imrie, and many others.

If you enjoy great comedies then you'll like this. It's a near-perfect rom-com, and a reliable favourite to have to hand for those evenings when you want to watch something that will keep you grinning from ear to ear throughout, even if you started watching it while in a low mood, wearing your pyjamas, and determined to eat your way through an entire tub of ice cream.

9/10

Buy the set here.
Americans can get the same set here.