Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Helen Fielding, “Bridget Jones’s Diary” has two of the most important attributes required to win over today’s movie audiences: it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it possesses the wit and style necessary to engage and entertain its audience.
As the year begins, Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) makes her first mistake: she falls in love with her boss, the devilishly-charming Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). She knows this is bad for her - Cleaver is a well-known womanizer - but she can’t resist the attraction. This isn’t her only problem, though - she’s also worried about her career, her weight, her alcohol consumption and her friends (a weird and wonderful bunch who are constantly falling in and out of love). Further complicating affairs is Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), a well-known lawyer who always seems to end up rubbing Bridget the wrong way, and Bridget’s mom, who decides to leave home to pursue a career in television and ends up having an affair with a smooth-talking con man…
With ingredients like this, you’d anticipate a corker of a movie - and you’d be right. Zellweger turns in a great performance as the weight-obsessed, lovelorn Bridget, showcasing her skill for comedy with her perfect timing and often-slapstick acting. Grant has never looked better - his droll sense of humour comes through perfectly, and even though you know he’s a cad, you can’t help finding him endearing. And director Sharon Maguire displays some deft touches of her own - the fight scene between the two men in Bridget’s life is flat-out hilarious, and the soundtrack (some great music, from Geri Haliwell and Chaka Khan to Dina Carrol and Robbie Williams) is a jewel by itself. Don’t miss this one!
This article was first published on 10 Sep 2001.