Nearly 9 years after having a child, and practically 25 years since she began her diary, Bridget Jones is returning to the world in a 2025 film. As Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is ready to debut for Peacock subscription holders this weekend, Renée Zellweger shall be reuniting with followers of that adore Ms. Jones and her antics.
After watching Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy’s trailer, I used to be reminded how a lot I truly loved Bridget Jones’s Diary once I first noticed it. However seeing as that is the fourth image within the lot, that jogged my memory of a deep darkish secret: I had by no means seen both of the earlier sequels to one of many greatest rom-coms identified to humanity.
This meant I wanted to run by means of each 2004’s Bridget Jones: The Fringe of Purpose and 2016’s Bridget Jones’s Child briefly order. Now that I’ve completed simply that, there are some issues we positively want to debate earlier than Film 4 jumps in entrance of our eyeballs.
The world has at all times identified that Renée Zellweger is an actor of nice accomplishment, however what I feel we’ve forgotten over time is simply how proficient she is within the area of romantic-comedies. Though I didn’t like both of those sequels practically as a lot as Bridget Jones’s Diary, my admiration of Ms. Zellweger’s craft has not waned. Which jogs my memory, you individuals must go watch Down With Love! That’s a vastly underrated gem of hers.
Bridget Didn’t Practically Deserve The Fats Jokes These Flicks Lob At Her
Oh, I hoped this may be improved upon within the sequels. My imprecise remembrance of Bridget Jones’s Diary did embrace the customarily cited fat-phobia that’s current within the movies primarily based on writer Helen Fielding’s creation. The back-to-back cocktail of The Fringe of Purpose and Bridget Jones’s Child definitely dug its heels slightly deeper into this unlucky trench.
I Draw The Line At Two Montage Needle Drops, Ms. Jones
In a single quick “Gotta Get Him Again!” sequence in Bridget Jones: The Fringe of Purpose’s last act, we hear three totally different needle drops. Going from “Eternal Love” to “You are the First, the Final, My Every little thing,” and touchdown on a “Loopy In Love” finale, it’s a bit a lot. So until it’s an extended sequence or there’s extra significance moreover padding the soundtrack, let’s attempt to hold the jukebox to 2 needle drops max in a montage, okay?
How Does Bridget Mistrust Mark, However Preserve Letting Daniel Play Her For A Sucker?
I’d say 85-90% of the Bridget Jones collection entails our trendy lady protagonist presuming that Mark is dishonest on her. Now I get that quite a lot of elements encourage that, however after The Fringe of Purpose, Bridget ought to have realized this man, even after marrying and divorcing another person within the course of, does love her! My guess is as a result of it retains Mark Darcy in preventing form since he is beat the ass of any man who’s tried to push him apart.
Bridget Ought to Have Thought-about Courting Rebecca
Talking of Bridget Jones: The Fringe of Purpose, there’s a reveal in direction of the top that Rebecca (Jacinda Barrett), the girl regarded as an admirer of Mark, truly fancies her. The 2 kiss, and Bridget truly doesn’t appear to thoughts in a very progressive second for a 2004 rom-com. After seeing that, I feel Ms. Jones ought to have no less than thought of attempting a relationship outdoors of her heteronormative routine.
Bridget Jones’s Child Actually Doesn’t Really feel The Similar With out Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant’s causes for ditching Bridget Jones 3 had been completely legitimate, particularly in mild of my criticism of how Bridget loves to dive into temptation each time she and Mark break up. That being stated, the short-term dying fake-out was simply as awkward as not having Grant’s Daniel Cleaver within the forged. So seeing again for Mad About The Boy makes me moderately pleased, whereas additionally giving me concern.
Mamma Mia Helped This Three-quel Go Into Manufacturing, Didn’t It?
Who doesn’t love a rom-com involving a case of unsure paternity? Significantly, it seems like Mamma Mia’s hit standing in 2008 helped get this one onto the board. Which, in flip, will need to have helped 2018’s Mamma Mia! Right here We Go Once more come into being finally. Both manner, I’m glad to see Colin Firth working – even on the threat of my very own sanity.
Patrick Dempsey And Colin Firth Want To Work Collectively Once more
One of many vivid spots of Bridget Jones’s Child needs to be the truth that Mark Dempsey and Colin Firth had been a number of enjoyable to look at as squabbling suitors. Although I nonetheless missed Firth’s fights with Hugh Grant from the primary two films, his tussle with the Gray’s Anatomy forged alum was positively magical. Maybe they ought to be a pair in a future rom-com as a substitute of simply pretending.
Mark Darcy Ought to Have Run Off With Dr. Rawlings
I do know it’s a moot level by the point we get to Bridget Jones’s Child, however I’m sorry – Mark and Dr. Rawlings (Emma Thompson) felt like extra of a match than he ever did with Bridget. In case you’d have ended the story in Bridget Jones’s Diary, then perhaps it might have made sense. And belief me, I’m not completed arguing that time simply but.
These Sequels Are Awkwardly Topical For Rom-Coms
Bridget Jones’s Diary wasn’t a easy frothy rom-com, as she positively wanted to be taught to face up for herself and cease trusting the incorrect man. So for The Fringe of Purpose to incorporate a ridiculous second the place Bridget giving a whole girls’s jail in Thailand wonderbras and chocolate as parting items was… a alternative.
So was inventing a Pussy Riot facsimile for Mark to defend in courtroom, in addition to a storyline involving Bridget’s office evolving right into a tabloid in Bridget Jones’s Child. If it was labored higher into the plot, I may need dug it, however right here we’re.
I Sort Of Want Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy Was The Solely Sequel
My last criticism is only from a plot standpoint, as I do know that Helen Fielding’s choice to kill off Mark Darcy was impressed by the premature dying of her personal husband. That being stated, I actually want that Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy was the one sequel within the group, as this unlucky real-life twist makes these center chapters really feel unintentionally redundant.
It’d be the rom-com model of Sylvester Stallone’s most popular methodology for methods to watch Rocky, through which you begin with the unique, after which skip to Rocky Balboa. We get the poignance of Bridget Jones shedding Mark Darcy mechanically and wouldn’t need to stay by means of her continually being fats shamed and seduced into farce.
With all of that in thoughts, I’m nonetheless eager for Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. It’s not going to be lengthy earlier than we’re all learn into the subsequent chapter of this romantic comedy legacy, as it is going to be streaming on Peacock beginning February thirteenth. Although should you’re in a world territory, theaters ought to operating the image the subsequent day.
Now should you’ll excuse me, I’m going to re-watch Kingsman: The Secret Service and fake that Mark Darcy escaped his life to turn out to be a brilliant spy. I don’t know the way I’ll head canon him to not be a deadbeat dad, however I’ve bought time.