Bridget Jones’s well-conceived return
The guys are just the window dressing in wicked and silly third instalment of series
Work, romance, self-image — Bridget Jones grapples with some of the issues everyone faces and lets you laugh about them at the same time.
Renee Zellweger made Bridget a lovable screen character in Bridget Jones’s Diary, so much so the character survived a mediocre sequel (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.)
Fans will be pleased to know the new movie, Bridget Jones’s Baby, is funny. It’s an unexpected treat. The film catches up to Bridget at 43, still single and working hard as a producer on TV news.
At a music festival with her TV colleague (Sarah Solemani), Bridget has a one-night stand with an American named Jack (Patrick Dempsey); just a few days later, she runs into Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), who is still carrying a torch for her.
When Bridget discovers she’s pregnant, she learns, a bit too late, that condoms have a best-before date. She also learns there’s no way of knowing if the father is Mark or Jack. Bridget decides to forge ahead regardless.
Bridget is independent and quite happy to be having a baby, but she has to deal with the reactions of other people. Both Mark and Jack are keen to be the father of Bridget’s baby, so until testing confirms paternity, both men do their best to step up, courting Bridget and accompanying her to prenatal classes.
The men are jealous and competitive (and funny). Still, they’re mostly window dressing.
This is Bridget’s story and as it unfolds her interactions with other women are just as important.
There’s her world-weary obstetrician (Emma Thompson) to contend with, her terrifying new young boss (Kate O’Flynn) and her worried mother (Gemma Jones) — all comic gold. There might be one too many subplots, but it doesn’t matter.
Bridget Jones’s Baby is just as wicked and silly as you’d hope, only on a more grown-up level as befits the subject matter.
Bridget’s old gang returns for this sequel. The only person missing is Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), but the story accounts for his whereabouts.
The movie has more smarts than mush, which is what one hopes for in a romantic comedy. Maybe it’s as simple as having Sharon Maguire return to direct this film.
Or maybe it’s having Thompson as one of the writers. In delivering Bridget’s baby, Thompson’s character also delivers some of the most terrific comic lines in the film.
Bridget Jones’s Baby leaves two happy impressions: 1) Welcome back Bridget! 2) More Thompson, please.