By Marianne Chatburn, Film and TV Sub-editor
This Valentines’s Day we were treated to the long-awaited return of the most well-loved and relatable heroine to ever grace the silver screen: Miss Bridget Jones. Despite my love for the first two films, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, I was left feeling a little underwhelmed following the third instalment Bridget Jones’s Baby. I am basing this largely off of the fact that I remember very little about it, save her being carried to the hospital while in labour by both Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey (wild). With this in mind, I did not have high hopes for the the latest addition, but rest assured this film will leave you feeling as giddy as the first–if a little tearier along the way.
If you are yet to catch up on the latest of Bridget’s misadventures, be warned of spoilers ahead. Beginning with the worst spoiler of all–and one that I don’t see myself recovering from anytime soon–the tragic death of the beloved Mark Darcy. For all my hatred of giveaways, this information was rightly included in the trailer as no one wants to mourn their way through a feel-good film. That being said, I mourned my way through the entirety of the feel-good film. What do you mean, a phantom Mark Darcy is singing his son to sleep to the lyrics of ‘I’d Do Anything’? Emotional damages accrued less than 15 minutes in. While heartbreaking, the effects of Mark Darcy’s loss are delicately portrayed throughout the film, as the writers are careful not to hastily swap his character out for a shiny new replacement. In fact, it is clear throughout the film that Bridget keeps his memory close to her heart, even while trying to move on.
The majority of the plot centres on a whirlwind romance between Bridget and Roxster (Leo Woodall), a character who would have been more likeable if given a less ridiculous name. Following a serendipitous tree rescue, Bridget is introduced to the confusing world of Tinder and situationships. Admittedly, I spent the first half of the film thinking they were quite compatible despite Roxster’s personality falling a little short of Bridget’s typically charismatic love interests, and genuinely rooted for the two of them. When at a friend’s birthday party, we are taunted by the notion that Bridget is being stood up in front of her curious posse of friends, but before the audience can begin throwing things at the screen, Roxster shows up with all the valiance and bravado of a man about to ruin your life. After jumping into the pool to ‘save’ Bridget’s friend’s dog, he imitates the classic scene from the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries in which Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy emerges from the river. My mum assures me that this caused quite the cultural ripple at the time. Little nods such as this keep the roots of the franchise alive, reminding us that Mark Darcy’s slightly eerie presence is with us throughout.
You can actually feel the punch in the gut when Roxster ghosts Bridget, their vivid romance coming to an all too realistic end. While painful to watch, this abandonment brought with it some beautifully delicate and intuitive writing, as after Roxster whispers ‘I wish I had a time machine’, Bridget muses with perfectly measured succinctness, ‘and with that came the elephant stomping heavily into the room’. Despite the inevitable onslaught of sitting by the phone and hoping for a reconciliation, Bridget picks herself up and decides to haul herself back to work as the wonderfully wise Emma Thompson prescribes. When Roxster inevitably returns to Bridget with his tail between his legs, Bridget, clad with her headset and clipboard, does the honour of gracefully rejecting him and his indecision. Honourable representative for ghostees across the nation.
Aptly named ‘Mad About The Boy’, Bridget finds her second love interest towards the end of the film. Mr Walliker (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the kind and dependable primary school teacher with all the uptight strength of Mark Darcy, is a good match for Bridget who is well and truly tired of rollercoaster romances. Although they struggle to reconcile their opposing beliefs regarding Billy’s mourning of his father, they bond over their shared devotion to his happiness and healing and Bridget recognises the tenderness behind Mr Walliker’s stern façade. This culminates in a scene at the school show that had the tears well and truly flowing. Why on Earth would they pan to Mr Darcy’s ghoul smiling in the audience? Kick me while I’m down why don’t you. Although we saw less of Mr Walliker than Roxster, he was obviously a more promising match, and one that left Bridget grinning ear to ear by the end of the film. He has my blessing.
It is only right to round off this review by applauding Renée Zellweger's reprise of the wacky and wonderful Bridget Jones, our fuzzy-pen-wielding national treasure. While a little more composed and sure of herself, she is still the same Bridget we know and love, just inevitably a little more grown up. The producers make sure to remind us that she is still as clumsy and frazzled as ever, running around the house, burning pasta, chasing up an AWOL Daniel Cleaver and flailing around as she tries to zip up her dress - all just minutes after appearing on screen. Classic Bridget (I say as her parasocial best friend and confidant). She also lives in an endearingly eclectic and hectic household–one that reflects her personality and headspace perfectly. It is lovely to watch on as the house slowly becomes tidier and quieter as the film progresses and she steadies her sense of self. Watching Bridget navigate her turbulent journey through mourning, healing, romance, heartbreak, motherhood, and romance again was both entertaining and heartbreaking in equal measure. But ultimately this is not Bridget’s first rodeo, and she proves that she is able to weather the storms of love and loss come what may.
All in all, I left the cinema pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this fourth and seemingly final glimpse into Bridget’s life, and desperate to talk about it to any friend who was willing to listen. Honourable mention to Hugh Grant for his wonderful portrayal of the outrageously caddish Daniel Cleaver, the comic relief of this unpredictably heavy film and an eternal fan favourite. Every character was cut from the cloth of the first film and given a dash of the modernity necessary to make them realistic. Somehow the producers injected this film with the perfect dose of nostalgia, pulling forth quirks of Bridget’s day-to-day life from earlier films and making this final instalment beautifully familiar and faithful to its origins. A true homecoming to a franchise that I hoped would never end.
What did you think of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy?
