Bridget Jones defined a generation back in the early 2000s. Renée Zellweger, an American actress from Texas, was the last person on anyone’s mind when it came to casting a young, naive and innocent British working class girl with relationship problems. Somehow it worked. Colin Firth and Hugh Grant were two very different men in her life who fought and vied for her love, and this became the central theme for each film in the series. The question was always, who will Bridget end up with? The third film, Bridget Jones’ Baby, saw Hugh Grant sit out of the fight but the film felt like a fitting end to the character as she enters a new part of her life as a mother. Luckily though everyone felt there was one story left to be told and that brings us to the swan-song entry, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
This fourth film in the sweet and charming series is just like the previous films in the fact that it is adapted from another one of Helen Fielding’s books about Bridget Jones. Personally, having not read any of the books I didn’t know how events in Bridget’s life would unfold but it does feel like a natural end to the story of her love life. Zellweger returns as a middle-aged single mother of two kids, Mabel and Billy. Her love life is the main point yet again and this time we see a grieving, maternal side to Bridget, offering a new perspective on the dating scene. The modern dating world is explored as age gap relationships and dating apps are a few issues Bridget must tackle, despite these key themes the story is a bit all over the place.
From start to finish there really isn’t an overarching narrative. Instead we are treated to an episodic routine of Bridget running into potential dating candidates and just seeing how she fares with each one. Hugh Grant’s Daniel Cleaver is back on the scene in a rather small and minor role that feels a little shoe-horned in. Emma Thompson’s character is back from the third film as Doctor Rawlings and offers some of the best laughs of the film, reminding you that it is also a comedy and not just a drama. The two new big male leads however are Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Eijofor as Rockster and Mr Walliker, the teacher to Bridget's’ kids. Both have positive and negative character traits and the film basically acts as a pros and cons of dating someone your age and someone younger. The result is fairly mixed.
Mad About the Boy is filled with a lot of twee moments that remind you just how British the character is. From pop music montage segments, long walks around London and festive shops lit up, you do feel immersed inside London’s culture. It has that warm and inviting feeling that the previous films have. There are some moments which feel unnecessary but the witty script and tender performances from the cast help keep the film afloat. The Bridget Jones film series has cemented its status as comfort viewing, and this newest addition is a welcome one but albeit not as classic or as memorable as the first.
★★★☆☆
3/5
Final Verdict:
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy has all the feels as a fond swan-song for the titular character. Audiences have spent the past few decades falling in love with Bridget's’ awkward antics and now that she has kids things still haven’t changed much for her. Colin Firth and Hugh Grant both have emotional goodbyes to their respective character’s in a film that makes you feel bittersweet. Life goes on, seize the moment, take a chance on love are just some of the themes that are on display in this fourth entry in the series. New characters played by Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Eijofor are just as charming but at the heart of everything is Bridget. The story may be flat but the characters are all enjoyable and memorable.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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