Bridget Jones's Diary

Starring: Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant
Directed by: Sharon MaGuire
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Box Office: $71,543,427
2001

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Follows the story of a New York publicist, Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger), who eats too much, smokes too much, and drinks too much, as she has a destructive relationship with her boss (Hugh Grant). To complicate matters even more, she despises a man (Colin Firth) who she keeps running into, and more and more, he seems to be interested in her.

Review:

Tim: I'm a sucker for films based on previous classics, and this one-- follow me now- is based on Helen Fielding's bestselling novel, but THAT one is based on Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice (great book, by the way, I recommend reading it). So, technically, this movie is based on Austin's novel, so immediately, I like it a little more.

Despite that fact, I honestly at first did not think I'd like this movie. It just looked stupid to me. Fortunately, I was wrong. Bridget Jones's Diary is absolutely hilarious. At various points in the movie, writing shows up on screen, as if Bridget is writing in her journal, and more often than not, her comments had me doubling up with laughter. Zellweger does a terrific job in this role, and it's remarkable how much weight she put on for this role (Zellweger got huge to fit the part perfectly). Hugh Grant is devilishly charismatic and throughout the film, you struggle to decide whether you really like him, or really hate him. Colin Firth, who I've never seen on screen before (at least not memorably), does a terrific job as well. I sincerely hope he plays more roles like this one.

One of the highlights of the film is when Grant and Firth get into a huge fight near the end. It was absolutely the last thing I was expecting, but its quite a sight to see, and was choreographed extraordinarily well. It's definitely worth seeing the movie just for that fight.

Ultimately, this is a movie for women, but I feel that men will find enough enjoyable moments to keep them interested. And, like I mentioned, it's based on one of the great romantic novels of all time, so that helps matters. Bridget Jones's Diary is definitely a girl's movie, but I am honest enough to admit I liked it far better than I thought I would have.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Jerry Maguire, Nurse Betty, Notting Hill, About a Boy, Me, Myself, and Irene