By Jocelyn Noveck | Related Press
It’s a reality universally acknowledged, as Bridget Jones herself may write in her diary, that on the finish of any Bridget Jones film, our heroine has triumphed over all doubts and obstacles and is lastly pleased.
With a person. Properly, to date, with one explicit man: Mark Darcy, the stuffy-yet-dashing man of her desires.
This, pricey viewer, is just not a spoiler for the brand new fourth film, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.” Actually, in the event you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know that Bridget (Renée Zellweger, nonetheless fairly pleasant), who lastly married Mark on the finish of the third movie, is now a widow.
We’re not purported to reveal precisely what occurs subsequent. However bear in mind, of us, it is a basic romantic comedy franchise. Rom-coms will be unhappy and deep, however they nonetheless should be romantic.
What makes “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” particularly pleasurable, then — and one of the best because the 2001 authentic — is just not that Bridget finds a method but once more to conquer doubts and obstacles. It’s that she nonetheless makes us care so darned a lot.
How does she do it in any case these years? All I do know is, I used to be rooting tougher for her on the finish of this movie than I used to be with the others, even the unique the place she’s kissing Mark within the snowy avenue in underwear and sneakers.
There are numerous potential explanations. One is Zellweger herself, who has introduced her character gracefully into her 50s, retaining Bridget’s goofiness and deep-set optimism whereas reflecting hard-won life expertise.
And there are refined modifications to the equation. The relationships on this newest movie are extra fascinating — outdated ones and new.
Bridget’s relationship with herself is extra fascinating, too — and more healthy. Positive, she will swig a full bottle of Chardonnay on a nasty night time. However the smoking is gone, and so, thank heavens, is the ridiculous weight obsession — a phenomenon that hit its nadir within the icky remaining line of the second movie, with Bridget saying sure, you will discover happiness, even in the event you “have a bottom the size of two bowling balls.”
Nothing like that on this newest installment, directed by Michael Morris primarily based on Helen Fielding’s novel (Fielding additionally co-wrote the script), which begins 4 years into Bridget’s widowhood. She’s dwelling in a lovingly cluttered residence in Hampstead together with her youngsters, Billy and Mabel.
Bridget is getting dressed for a uncommon night time at a cocktail party, awaiting the sitter. That sitter is … Daniel Cleaver himself, again for the fourth movie after lacking the third, which contained his funeral. (He wasn’t useless!) Hugh Grant is much less cute than to start with, extra grizzled, nonetheless barely creepy however extra susceptible — and a faithful pal.
On the get together, all of the {couples} need to understand how Bridget is transferring on together with her life. She escapes, and at a bar later together with her stalwart pal group (the gang from the earlier motion pictures), says she’s completed with romance.
In fact, that may show unfaithful. Bridget will meet her new love curiosity in essentially the most Bridget Jones of the way: caught awkwardly on a tree within the park, making an attempt to rescue her kids, additionally caught.
To the rescue comes a dreamy park ranger (Leo Woodall), who additionally occurs to see on Bridget’s telephone that her buddies have arrange a Tinder account: “Tragic Widow Seeks Sexual Awakening.”
And thus, Bridget’s new love curiosity is 29-year-old Roxster McDuff — a ridiculous identify, rivaling how ridiculously horny he’s. The 2 embark on a steamy courtship.
On the identical time, Bridget has returned to work as a TV producer. Her colleagues salivate on the sight of Roxster, particularly when he reveals as much as a celebration, rips off his shirt and dives right into a pool to rescue a canine.
“Now THAT’S a rebrand,” Bridget’s pal says approvingly of her new life. However can their relationship overcome the appreciable age hole? It’s a topic — older girl, youthful man — that’s a sizzling matter in present motion pictures.
Additionally raised right here is the query of how one strikes on from deep grief to reside totally once more – a objective that Bridget’s late father had urged upon her (Jim Broadbent reappears briefly, as does Gemma Jones as Bridget’s mom. Colin Firth seems in just a few dreamy moments. )
And there are many different new points for Bridget to navigate, too, similar to how laborious it’s to maintain up with different dad and mom in school. For instance: When Bridget is requested, by her son’s good-looking and fascinating but seemingly guarded science instructor Mr. Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor), to talk to the category about her profession, he tells her the earlier mum or dad to come back in was a Nobel winner in nuclear physics.
No worries. The teachings of this final — or so they are saying — Bridget Jones chapter converse to how one adjusts expectations and finds the suitable option to reside on this planet.
And on that observe, as outdated photographs from 25 years of Bridget’s life fly by throughout closing credit, it’s laborious to not really feel like she’s household — and to be greater than a bit of happy with how she discovered her method.
“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”
3 stars out of 4
Score: R (for language and a few sexual references)
Working time: 124 minutes
