Posted: 04/24/2001

Bridget Jones’s Diary

(2001)

by Wayne Case

As a classic popular song asks: Have You Met Miss Jones? If you haven’t met this particular Miss Jones, I suggest you get to your local theatre as soon as possible and become acquainted with Miss Bridget Jones, the irresistible heroine of a charming new romantic comedy.

It’s a pleasure to report that Bridget Jones’s Diary, which opened wide in both the United States and England on April 13, 2001, is exactly what a romantic comedy should be. It is both romantic and funny, and it’s amazing how rarely films get the delicate balance just right. This film is also charming, sly, refreshing, and insightful; it is a prime example of just why I love going to movies! Obviously, positive buzz exists since US grosses have been surprisingly strong from the opening day, and new local attendance records were established in the UK. Exit polls were very positive, and while the main targeted audience was female, men are also responding well. After only ten days in release only in North America and the UK, total gross is nearly $50 million. This is especially impressive when considering that the film was made for around $20 million!

British writer Helen Fielding wrote the book upon which the screenplay is based & she co-wrote the script along with Richard Curtis and Andrew Davies. Richard Curtis is the only credited writer for both Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994) and Notting Hill (1999); Andrew Davies adapted the script for Circle Of Friends (1995) from a novel. Since these three films are among my favorites, the superior quality of this writing doesn’t surprise me. Although I haven’t read any of Ms. Fielding’s work yet, I now plan to do so. She first brought Bridget to life as a fictional single London woman in a series of newspaper articles. Hugely popular books followed. Fielding and director, Sharon Maguire met and became friends back in the eighties when they were both single and surrounded by married friends. When it came time to select a director for the film, Ms. Fielding recommended her friend to the producers. Although Ms. Maguire had only made television commercials and documentary films before this project, she was clearly the right choice for this material.

Speaking of wise decisions, the casting of Texas-born Renee Zellweger was inspired. Many British writers and fans of the books were outraged when this choice part went to an American, but the complaints stopped when they viewed the results. Throughout cinema history, great British actresses have been successfully cast as Americans; this time the shoe is on the other foot and the concept works equally well this way. I can’t imagine anyone equaling Ms. Zellweger’s interpretation here and will be shocked if she doesn’t receive an Oscar nomination as best actress this time out. I’m still annoyed that she was overlooked by the Academy for her work last year in Nurse Betty. She did earn a Golden Globe for that performance, however. Although I’m not an authority on accents, to my ears, she never faltered and sounded like her British born co-stars. She gained some twenty extra pounds for the part and was fearless in exposing the required extra bulk to great comic effect! Of her earlier performances, my two favorites are Jerry Maguire (1996) and The Whole Wide World (1996). Recent reports indicate that there is to be a sequel for Bridget Jones’s Diary and that Ms. Zellweger will return as long as she doesn’t have to regain all that weight that she has now dropped!

The two male leads, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant, are equally wonderful as total opposites. The actors were both born in England, one day apart in September 1960. Eventually, the plot has them competing for Bridget’s affection and her choice is an audience pleaser. My reaction to Hugh Grant is amazingly inconsistent. I thoroughly enjoyed him in Maurice (1987), The Lair Of The White Worm (1988), Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994), and Notting Hill (1999). On the other hand, I hated him in Nine Months (1995), Extreme Measures (1996), and Mickey Blue Eyes (1999). This time, he is likely to get one of my votes as a nominee for best supporting actor, and I’m looking forward to his next, About A Boy now being directed by the Weitz Brothers. He seems to be having as much fun playing a scoundrel as I had watching him. My favorites of Colin Firth are Another Country (1984), Apartment Zero (1988), and A Thousand Acres (1997). Unfortunately, I missed the television mini-series of Price And Prejudice (1995), but understand that his performance as “Mister Darcy” is exceptional and plan to look for it on video soon. It isn’t coincidence that his character here is named “Mark Darcy” since it is actually based on that character he played earlier.

Technical credits and other casting/performances are very satisfying. While I liked the music on the soundtrack, it is becoming a bit of a cliché to interject snippets of recorded songs throughout the entire film the way they do here. The choice of material was terrific, however and it added to my overall enjoyment. I especially liked “Killin’ Kind” by Shelby Lynne, “Have You Met Miss Jones?” by Robbie Williams, and “Someone Like You” by Van Morrison.

The MPAA rating of R is for language and some fairly strong sexuality; the running time is a brisk 92 minutes. For adult filmgoers, I highly recommend Bridget Jones’s Diary and I’m now off to see it again.

My rating: 9

Wayne Case works in the film industry in Hollywood.

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