And a brief review of Bridget Jones’s Baby
Dear Diary,
Cigarettes: Never. Well, maybe that cigarillo that smelled like a gym sock that one time.
Weight: I stopped keeping track, but pants fit, so good.
Alcohol units: I want to say “several.”
I love Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) and not in a “guilty-pleasure” or “way-to-tune-out-and-have-a-laugh” kind of way. I love Bridget Jones in an, “It’s-my-favourite-movie-of-all-time” way. Yes, I could at least pretend to be cool and say my favourite movie is actually The Godfather: Part I, or be quirky and say Death to Smoochy, or confess what my shelves probably do and say Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone through Deathly Hallows: Part 2. But I know, in my heart, that I only just like those movies a lot.
I think people sometimes choose their favourite things because of the impression they seek to make rather than what truly brings them joy. To me, a favourite movie isn’t anything to do with your intellect. A favourite movie should evoke unadulterated comfort on a visceral level. For me, Bridget Jones’s Diary is soul soup that has warmed my insides on the hardest days of the hardest years of my life.
“For me, Bridget Jones’s Diary is soul soup that has warmed my insides on the hardest days of the hardest years of my life.”
I’ve probably watched this movie at least once a month since I bought a DVD copy from a $2 bin in a Blockbuster that was going out of business back when I was still in high school. To be clear, I don’t mean that I put it on as background noise. It’s an event. Popcorn is popped. Wine is poured. PJs are worn. And genuine enjoyment is had.
Now, I don’t expect people to understand and I do expect people to think I’m silly but, regardless of these expectations, this silly ritual of mine is something that makes me happy.
If you’re still with me then you may be wondering, “Well, what’s so great about this movie?” Good question. Here’s a handy little list of answers.
Bridget Jones is every woman
When you are constantly bombarded with popular representations of women who are the perfect size, full of poise, and always saying and doing what is right at the right time then you are also constantly missing a character you can actually relate to. But Bridget is more than relatable; she is inspiring. She chooses to pick herself back up and keeps trying at everything despite her insecurities and experiences. She speaks her mind. She stands up for herself. Bridget Jones is how women wish they were rather than how men would have women be. Renée Zellweger became Bridget Jones and it was glorious.
The Pride & Prejudice connection
Who doesn’t love a good adaptation? Helen Fielding, author of the novel Bridget Jones’s Diary did an incredible job of updating Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice without being heavy-handed. Many people may not even make the connection, but for those who see it, it makes the film even more enjoyable. Especially when you realize that Colin Firth portrays the role of Mr. Darcy in both Bridget Jones and the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
Colin Firth as Mark Darcy
This may be the perfect man who will never exist. Colin Firth’s portrayal of Mark Darcy introduces a gentleman of a bygone era in his appearance, demeanour, and language. If you look at how the character actually speaks it’s incredibly unnatural and entirely unlikely, but Firth makes Darcy’s out-of-date mannerisms charming idiosyncrasies that are a product of his station, upbringing, and broken heart. He is nothing like Bridget, who is very much in the present, and that’s precisely why she appeals to him.
The soundtrack
The soundtrack mixes 1970s and ’80s songs like “Me and Mrs. Jones” by The Dramatics and “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan with recent (at the time of release) covers like “It’s Raining Men” by Geri Halliwell and “All By Myself” by Jamie O’Neal. This decision makes the soundtrack feel timeless even after 15 years; just like the story on which the film is based.
Now when I say that I’ve waited for the next part in the Bridget Jones’s franchise for a long time, you’ll know how seriously I mean it. Bridget Jones’s Baby was released 15 years after the first film. Yes, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, was released in 2004 but it wasn’t a great movie, and even if it was, that’s still a really long wait. There isn’t enough time to get into the details of The Edge of Reason, but suffice it to say that whether it was the change in director or the fact that it tried and failed to reproduce the funny moments of the previous film, it was only passably good for those who were already fans.
Luckily, Sharon Maguire, director of the first film returned and worked her magic with (according to the internet rumour mill) the help of Emma Thompson, who improved what must have been a pretty clichéd script for Hugh Grant to turn it down.
“Bridget Jones is how women wish they were rather than how men would have women be.”
Bridget Jones’s Baby shows a development to the first film, acting as a response to it rather than a mere attempt at reproduction. Taking a couple of the iconic things Bridget did in the first movie and turning them on their head, showed an evolution of the character that may not be considered an increase in maturity but can be thought of as growth all the same. Basically, this felt like a new chapter rather than a rewriting of the same chapter like the second film.
Patrick Dempsey, who filled the role Hugh Grant probably would have played, had excellent onscreen chemistry with both Zellweger and Firth. The three leads were funny, but so was the supporting cast, old and new faces alike. The representation of a non-traditional family unit and the positive representation of not only a single pregnant mother “of a certain age,” but the lack of judgement thrown at Bridget for not knowing who the father is, provide positive representations that are lacking in popular culture.
While I could spend a lot of time breaking down what exactly made Bridget Jones’s Baby good, the best bit was realizing that the movie theatre was filled with the loudest laughter I’ve ever heard at the movies. And maybe that’s the whole point—and the honest truth—of Bridget Jones.
Photo by Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion.