| Bridget Jones's Diary Release Date: 13/04/01 Certificate: 15 Official Website Director: Sharon Maguire Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner & Jonathan Cavendish Screenplay: Helen Fielding, Andrew Davies & Richard Curtis |
| Based on Helen Fielding's best-selling book of the same name, and directed by her mate, Sharon Maguire, Bridget Jones's Diary looks set to be this year's Annual Popular British Film; making it a hat-trick for co-writer Richard Curtis. American beauty Renee Zellweger plays Bridget Jones. Jones smokes, drinks and eats too much, and is obsessed with not being single any more. Much has been made in the tabloids about how Zellweger has put weight on for the role, but she still looks pretty damn good to me, despite being thirty-two. Is it really any wonder women are so fucked up about their weight? Bridget starts going out with her boss at the publishers where she works, the smooth-talking Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). He's an arrogant bastard, so naturally most women's ideal man. Bridget, though, chooses Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), who is quieter and not as good at expressing himself. Movies once again propagating the myth that women prefer men without their heads up their own arses. Richard Curtis's influences in the script are clear; Bridget's group of friends are very much in the Four Weddings/Notting Hill tradition. Thankfully there he is not promoting his usual 'all Englishmen are helpless bumbling fops' manifesto for once. Bridget's moments of painful social embarassment are exquistely done and very funny. Zellweger is very attractive, and performs brilliantly in this comedy role. Her ramblings when she finds herself the centre of attention being the high points, though strangely reminiscent of Austin Powers. Pity she seems to have had a no-nudity clause though. Not having read the book, I cannot compare this adaptation to its source material, but if it was as soppy and predictable as this movie, its scarcely a suprise that it is so popular with women. The basic plot must have virtually written itself. It could actually end about ten minutes before it does, and the audience could take it as read that Darcy comes back for Bridget just when it seems all is lost and love will not win the day. I'm hardly spoiling the denouement here, it's obvious how the thing will end if you catch a glimpse of the movie poster on the way in. Funnier than most chick-flicks, Bridget Jones's Diary still cannot escape what it is, and the rom inevitably gets in the way of the com too much. It certainly wouldn't hurt to wait for the video.6/10 |
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