Bridget Jones's Diary DVD > Reviews > I choose Vodka. And Chaka Khan.

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Good
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	Funny, easy to watch
Disadvantages:	Never going to happen to a real life 30 - something

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

A film which truly contains everything, a love triangle, a fight over the girl and not to forget a diary that causes a lot more trouble than its worth. The film is based on the novel written by Helen Feilding who was later involved in the screenplay alongside Andrew Davies and Richard Curtis. In 2001 Bridget Jones Diary hit the big screen, some were sceptical, some were optimistic but the aftermarth tells more than the anticipation.

PLOT

New Year's Day and Bridget wakes up with an awful hangover from the night before. She's still single, still over weight and being a 30-something London girl neither of those is much fun. She decides to take charge of her life and keep a diary teling the truth about Bridget Jones.

The first obstacle Bridget must tackle is getting through her mother's turkey curry buffet. Her mother dresses her like a carpet and then tries to set her up with a neighbour's son, Mark Darcy. At first he seems quite buff but when he turns around wearing a reindeer jumper, her expectations decrease somewhat. Making a complete fool of herself in front of him and later hearing him badmouth her to his mother put her off yet more.

Bridget works in a publishing office in London, she appears to dislike the job and most other members of staff there. Her boss calls her Brenda and stares freely at her breasts. Life in the office is as bad as it is at home. Until she recieves an email from a senior member of staff, Daniel Cleaver. Being a little worried she opens the email and is rather surprised by the contents. Nonetheless she emails back and they begin flirting. Bridget tries not to fall for Daniel but it proves hard, especially when he agrees to accompany her to her uncle's 'Tarts and Vicars' party.

As one aspect of Bridget's life begins to pick up anothe falls spectacularly apart. Her parents break up, her mother moves in with someone else who she brings to the obscene party.

Unfortunately Daniel has to rush back before the party and when Bridget arrives at his apartment she thinks he has someone there - surely not! But when she notices a pink cardigan thngs are over between them. She finds a new job in television and makes a rather overblown resignation.

On her thirty-third birthday she cooks a meal, which goes horribly wrong, for her urban family. To everyone's surprise both Mark and Daniel arrive and fighting insumes.

ACTORS

Bridget Jones - Renee Zellweger
Mark Darcy - Colin Firth
Daniel Cleaver - Hugh Grant
Bridget's mum - Gemma Jones
Bridget's dad - Jim Broadbent

Bridget's urban family
Jude - Shirley Henderson
Shazzer - Sally Philips
Tom - James Callis

STATS

The film is 2 hrs 12 mins long
Certificate 15
Contains strong language, strong sexual references and moderate violence.

MY OP

This is the ultimate chick flick, even son I love it. The characters are wonderfully believeable. The story is easy to follow, though not simple. There is much hilarity throughout though there isn't a laugh a minute. The storyline is quite serious though this film is often thought of as a comedy as everything is quite exaggerted. None of this would ever really happen to a normal 30-something on the street, it would be adream come true.

The film is thoroughly enjoyable though not really one for the lads as it is fully of soppy moments. A film for the colection, after a bad break up, a girls' night in, in fact almost any time.