Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

I watched Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, the sequel, before I watched Bridget Jones's Diary, because I'm a dumbass who can't read the outside of a freakin' DVD case.

The sequel picks up six weeks after the original's end. Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) is happy in her new relationship with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). The inciting incident happens when when an attractive, younger woman (Rebecca Gilles, played by the beautiful Jacinda Barrett) begins working with Mark, causing Bridget to doubt her new relationship. Of course, more obstacles arise with the return of Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) when he starts working with Bridget again.

I neglected to discuss the other characters in the post on the first movie. The whole ensemble was great with Bridget's three bitchy yet supportive friends, Tom (James Callis), Jude (Shirley Henderson, Moaning Myrtle from the Harry Potter movies) and Shazzer (Sally Phillips). Bridget's vulgar, too-much-information giving Mum (the fabulous Gemma Jones) and her charmingly pessimistic Dad (Jim Broadbent) are also comical and complement each other.


I have read the comments section for this film on the IMDB page and it seems a lot of people were disappointed by the sequel. I guess not having seen either, the sequel was new stuff to me, so I enjoyed it. Another criticism was about the outlandishness of some of the situations like the mushroom trip, skiing and prison scenes. I actually found those the most humorous because they were over the top. More criticism at a twist in the plot at the end that is different in the book. I won't give it away, but I actually really like this twist for a few reasons. The biggest one being that I hate it when obstacles are presented to make another woman seem predatory and out to get the heroine's man. There are already way too many stories pitting women against each other over men. The other reason is that it shows that Bridget made up some of this conflict in her head. I think it's fairly common but usually the conflicts in these types of movies are external.


On the flipside, the cons include the fact that Bridget is a little TOO much into her head and comes off as more insecure and unsure than in the original. Another factor about why the audiences may not have been as happy with this one is that the great ensemble cast of the first movie were not as prominent in the sequel because of the time spent in Thailand and the prison. I did still enjoy it, in particular, the scene where Bridget is trying to buy a pregnancy test in a language she does not know with the pharmacist and the other customers trying to guess what she wants.

Bridget: Look...I'm a girl who met a boy....frauleine and I met frau...boy and now, possibly meet bebe." (I think it's all in the delivery)

More ramblings to come.......

Bridget Jones's Diary

Yes, I know...I suck. This is the first new post in a week. I hadn't seen this movie until recently because I always thought, "Ewww, chick flick". I received Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason for my birthday because my friend was insistent that I had to see them (Thank you, Amber!). Anyhoo, I really, really like both of them.

Directed by Sharon Maguire, this film is based on Helen Fielding's popular novel of the same name. Renee Zellweger stars as Bridget Jones, a single thirty something woman living in Britain, who is looking for love and ways to improve herself. Bridget feels she's one of the only 30's something single women in a world full of couples. Her parents are attempting to fix her up with a neighbour's son, a human rights lawyer names Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). However, they don't really hit it off. She soon falls for her boss, the charming, womanizing Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) when they begin an inter-office affair.


It's a fairly straightforward romantic comedy. Everybody is well cast and there is a lot of great humour, mostly in Bridget's internal dialogue. She's refreshing because most rom coms have a lead character that is charmingly clutzy (Debra Messing, Wedding Date) or adorably neurotic (Meg Ryan, When Harry Met Sally) so that the average woman can sympathize with them and they will be likable. However, even when they show their "faults" they're still disgustingly cute (Kate Hudson, How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days). Bridget really, truly embarrasses herself. Not only that, she's not a size 6. Everybody made such a big deal because she gained 25 lbs for this role. Ooooh, so she was what.....125lbs? Anyhoo, it was easy to root for her.


There's a few things that bother me about romantic comedies. One is how seemingly easy it is for the characters to fall in love. It seems like the general rule of thumb is that the two main characters have to be annoyed as hell by the other one until they realize that they love each other. They don't only have to be annoyed and bicker with each other, but they have to run to that person the second they realize they really love them to give them that big "this is how I feel about you, even though you annoy the hell out of me" speech. But the stakes have to be high, that other person has to be either boarding a plane to Timbuktu or walking down the aisle to get married to someone else when they give their big speech. But in Must Love Dogs, Diane Lane's character can't wait one more second to tell John Cusack's character how she feels, and can't even wait until he docks his canoe. She jumps into the lake and swims to his boat. In rom com land, these gestures are considered romantic and touching instead of psychotic and needy like they would be if they happened in real life. It's still a good movie, but mostly escapism.

From the part of the film after the man she really loves leaves and her friends try to cheer her up........

Shazzer: Exactly. I mean there's been all these bloody hints and stuff, but has he ever actually stuck his fucking tongue down your fucking throat?
Bridget: No. Not once!

More ramblings to come.......