Renee Zellweger is Bridget Jones.
Bridget is a chubby, chain smoking, blunt talking British woman who begins a diary
in an effort to rid herself of smoking, petty relationships and those few pesky
extra pounds. However, the diary does not help Bridget overcome these obstacles,
and instead she becomes consumed by them even more.
Jones falls for her dashing, skirt chasing boss Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) at
the publishing firm she works at. Cleaver and Jones begin a passionate, yet playful
affair that helps Bridget forget about her problems. Unfortunately, the relationship
ends in heartbreak and Bridget Jones begins a quest, with the aid of her diary,
to find herself and conquer the world.
The journeys of Bridget are the heart of “Bridget Jones’s Diary,”
based on the best selling book of the same name by Helen Fielding. She is a woman
with a heart of gold, and a lot of flaws as well. She doesn’t take herself
too seriously, but doesn’t value herself very highly either. Bridget is a
character that everyone can relate to (male or female) because the issues she
goes through are truly universal. From crazy parents to drinking a little too
much, everyone will sympathize with her.
What makes the film so great is that it manages to be hilarious, entertaining,
and smart at the same time. It struck me half way through that I couldn’t
remember the last time there was a comedy that didn’t go for gross-out laughs.
The comedy in “Bridget” comes from hilarious scenarios that are well
written and executed by terrific actors.
One such scene involves Bridget showing up dressed as a Playboy bunny at was supposed
to be a “Priests and Prostitutes” family costume party, only to find
a hundred shocked partygoers who are dressed in normal attire. Or when she has
to decide at the beginning of an evening whether sexy underwear or tummy-crunching
granny panties will do her more good in the long run. In both cases, the results
are hilarious.
As Bridget, Zellweger hits a home run in a comedic performance that will be remembered
for years to come. Adopting a British accent can be a risky venture for an American
actor (see Christian Slater in “Robin Hood”), but Zellweger pulls it
off effortlessly. The audience totally buys that this is a British woman, and
so they totally buy into her character as a whole. After “Jerry Maguire”
and “Nurse Betty,” Zellweger has turned in her third great performance,
and hopefully this is just the beginning.
Texan native Zellweger blends naturally with the impressive supporting cast made
up of all Brits, including Hugh Grant as Bridget’s slimy boss, and Colin
Firth as a man whom carries on a love/hate relationship with her.
Everyone has a little bit of Bridget Jones in them. Most of us have reached or
will reach a point in our lives where a change needs to be made. Bridget makes
that change, and even though she falters at times, she is still a great screen
heroin.
I went and saw this film with a group of 12 friends. All had different movie tastes,
and all were weary of seeing a labeled “chick flick.” In the end, every
single person loved the movie and laughed their butt off. It is almost impossible
for a movie to be unlikable by anyone, but this film might just have achieved
that.
“Bridget Jones’s Diary” is a very funny movie that doesn’t
dumb down the audience while making them laugh. It is one of the best films I
have seen in a long time, and should not be missed.

E-mail the author: Patrick PowellLIFE Et cetera Writer