My Rating: A-


“I just saw Bridget Jones’s Diary and it kicked so much a$$.” Those were the first words that came out of my mouth while I talked to my friend when I got home. He laughed and bluntly said “Come on, that’s a chick flick.” Well, who cares…Bridget Jones’s Diary was so refreshing, fun, and witty. Being a young adult, I felt very misplaced among the “older” generation in the theater. I immediately thought this movie was not for me for several reasons – I never heard of the book, I am not a girl, and for God sake, I am still in High School and can’t possibly relate to a story of a thirty-something single, British chain-smoker. It didn’t take more than 10 minutes when my entire preconceived notion of this movie was shattered. All it took was a drunk Renee Zellweger singing along some 80’s tune. Wow, that scene grabbed me and kept me in its grips for the next hour and a half. Expect to fall in love with this movie. I surely did.

Based on Helen Fielding’s best-selling novel, Renee Zellweger stars as Bridget Jones, a single, overweight, alcoholic, chain smoker, British (Well, basically nothing was going for her) woman who works in a publishing company. Meet the men. What a surprise – they are male chauvinistic pigs. This leads to a fun tale of true love, fake love, and the hardships and pressures of single life. Even though the story was kept under control under the treacherous Hollywood radar, I walked out of Bridget Jones’s Diary feeling good with Bridget, the whole world, and most importantly myself.

If this movie doesn’t shot Renee up in the prestigious A-list category, nothing will. She is certainly my favorite actress right now. In Nurse Betty, Renee proved that she could play a fragile character with strength and endurance. Where was her nomination during this year’s Academy Award? The Hollywood Foreign Press recognized her brilliant performance, why can’t you guys? Sorry, I am still bitter about that. Anyways, Renee now plays a neurotic Brit with a pitch-perfect accent. Even with all the controversy surrounding a Yank for the part of Bridget, Renee pulls it off brilliantly. She is incredibly adorable and acts with humanity. I identified with her weight struggle, her love life, and her many other struggles. Renee Zellweger is Bridget Jones.

The rest of the cast does a wonderful job in capturing the magic of this movie such as Colin Firth. But, Hugh Grant (Danielle Cleaver) amazed me at playing Bridget Jones’s boss. He is the bad boy that all the girls fall in love with. In the beginning of the movie, Bridget wrote a simple advice to herself in her diary: “Will not form romantic attachments to any of the following: alcoholics, workaholics, peeping toms, megalomaniacs, or f*ckwits. Will not fantasize about a particular person who embodies these things: my boss.” And inevitably, she did not listen to herself. Hugh Grant did a wonderful job in playing a smooth, confident, ladies man and even though his character gives the male species a bad reputation, I felt sympathetic towards him. Hugh Grant beautifully pulled it off and created a deeper character.

Bridget Jones’s Diary throws you into the mind of a neurotic British women. Sit back and enjoy her wild adventures with love and being a “singleton” in England. I will end this review with a soon-to-become cliché, I loved it just the way it is!



Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12