By this stage everyone should have heard of Bridget Jones, if you didn’t read the first or second book and haven’t seen the movie then you must be male or an alien species that has just arrived on the planet. As regular readers of my stuff will know, I recently scored higher on a corporate gender balance test than all of the females at my management level. Higher on the female side that is! This was a revelation to me but a point of hilarity for all of the women in the group not to mention the males. Thinking about it, it may explain why I like this kind of stuff, being in tune with my feminine side. If you actually saw me you would be on the floor right now, but seriously it may be the answer.
Enough waffle! Back to the film. I loved the book so the film was a must see. I had convinced Ann to read the book and we were both looking forward to the movie. We saw it originally at the cinema but for the purposes of this update I have rented the video to refresh my memory.
Bridget Jones is an angst ridden 32 year old who does something in publishing. She is obsessed with her appearance, her love life or rather the lack of it and the relationship problems of her tight knit circle of friends. She is set up with a man by her mother and initially rebels against the pairing.
She is more interested in her boss and purses a relationship with him by means of email and the occasional meeting. The two men in her life appear to have a history and hate each other. Various misadventures lead to the conclusion….well you will have to either watch the movie or read the book to find out what happens to the delightful Ms. Jones.
Renee Zellweger takes on the role of Bridget. For me this was a surprising choice. As you read a book you form mental images of characters and mine was much more Kate Winslet than Zellweger. Jones is a likeable character, a sort of amalgamation of a number of people you and I probably know. She is average in every way but has a compassion and spirit that set her apart. Jones is a nice person and one that you grow to love as you read about her trials and tribulations. She is a little on the dowdy side but this is not surprising considering the fact that her mother has spent the best part of 32 years putting her down!
Zellweger plays the part well and right from the start you begin to warm to her. Her accent is very good considering that she is a Texan and Americans have difficulty with English accents in general. She is probably best known for Jerry Maguire where she starred opposite Tom Cruise but really shone for me in Nurse Betty where she takes the lead role. Overall she pulls off what has to be one of the most difficult movie characters of recent times, given the audience exposure to the book and the consequent preconceptions.
Hugh Grant plays Daniel Cleaver, Bridget’s boss and initial love interest. This is not the Grant that we were used to. As Cleaver he is a slick womaniser who intends to have Jones as his plaything. At first he does not even notice Jones until a mini skirt brings her to his attention. Once he has seen her as of sexual interest he sets about having her. His intentions are selfish and primarily driven by the need for conquest. Bridget’s dreams of relationship heaven will be shipwrecked on the rocks of emotional “f**kwittage”.
Grant is excellent as Cleaver and plays the part to perfection. It is good to see him without having to put up with all that stammering and mock shyness. His scenes with Firth are also well done as the two spar across the battlefield that Jones’ love life has become.
Colin Firth plays Mark Darcy, the man that Bridget’s mother would like to see her get involved with. Darcy is the antithesis of Cleaver and they have crossed swords in the past, which adds a little intrigue. Firth is an excellent actor who played Mr. D’Arcy in Pride and Prejudice. The scene where he emerges from the lake in Pride and Prejudice is one of Bridget’s top ten erotic telly scenes! There is not much to say about his performance, as it is flawless.
Although the support group of friends is here they are not as important as in the book. This is understandable, as the movie has to have a central driving theme and that has to be Jones quest for love. It was a little disappointing that Shazza and co. did not feature so much but there you go.
Special mention should go to Jim Broadbent who plays Bridget’s Dad. He is an excellent comic actor and really comes across as the character in the book. Since this movie he has gone on to bigger things in Iris where he won an Oscar.
There are some excellent comic moments and everyone will have seen fire station clip and Grants discovery of Jones’ big pants! Mainly the comedy revolves around Bridget’s mishaps with Zellweger taking the straight woman role. There are lots of laughs but it is not a comedy classic. As far as romance goes there is enough without becoming too overbearing. It is good but not a classic love story by any means.
Overall the movie is well worth the rental. If you haven’t seen it yet then I am sure it will be on television soon and already is in the lower priced section at my local video store. Sit back and enjoy Bridget Jones, a heroine of our times.
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