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Bridget Jones' Diary
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In the screen adaptation of BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY, Helen Fielding's international best-selling phenomenon, documentary filmmaker...
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In the screen adaptation of BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY, Helen Fielding's international best-selling phenomenon, documentary filmmaker (and real-life inspiration for the character Shazzer) Sharon Maguire has managed a rare feat--a film as captivating as the novel. Bridget Jones (Renie Zellweger) is a pretty and neurotic thirtysomething "singleton" (in her vernacular) who vows to take control of her life after being humiliated by handsome, standoffish barrister, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) at her parents' New Year's party. Determined to lose weight, and cut back on vices like wine, cigarettes, and workaholic-alcoholic-misogynistic men, Bridget begins a diary to chart her progress. Unfortunately, the P.R. executive hits a snag when her boss, gorgeous cad Daniel (Hugh Grant) instigates a sexy e-mail flirtation. Despite her tendency to bungle book launch parties, and any situation involving the ever-present, ever-disapproving Mark Darcy, Bridget's winning combination of charm, vulnerability, and wit intrigues not onl...
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173 Reviews from Epinions.com
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Bridget Jones' Diary
When my friend e-mailed me Friday afternoon at work asking me what I wanted to do on Friday night, she knew as well as I did that there was no question about it. She tossed in going to a baseball game just in case but for both of us, seeing Bridget Jones' Diary was tops on our list of plans. We had high hopes for this movie and were not disappointed!
The Plot
The movie Bridget Jones' Diary is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Helen Fielding. Bridget Jones is a 30-something "singleton" (a.k.a. single person) living in London who chronicles her life in her diary. The movie is her diary, day by day throughout the year.
Bridget makes a number of resolutions in her diary. Although the book lists many, the movie focuses on her quest to stop smoking, to lose weight, quit drinking, and most importantly:
Will not form romantic attachments to any of the following: alcoholics, workaholics, commitment phobics, people with girlfriends or wives, misogynists, chauvinists, megalomaniacs, or emotional f*ckwits.
Will not fantasize about a particular person who embodies these things: my boss.
Which brings me to...
The Cast
I will admit to being very surprised that Renee Zellweger was cast as Bridget Jones. Renee is a Texas girl. Bridget is a Londoner. Renee is skinny. Bridget is "plump." It just didn't seem like a match. But I have to say that Renee Zellweger IS Bridget Jones. She was PERFECT for the part. She played Bridget flawlessly. Give this woman on Oscar! Her performance was that great.
Every other review has pointed this out, but I will as well. Renee put on around 30lbs to play this part and allegedly went from a size 2 to a size 12. Although I thought she looked great and not plump in the least in the movie, it is still a brave thing for an actress in ultra skinny Hollywood to put on those pounds and have her body exposed to millions like that. A super skinny Bridget wouldn't have cut it, and Renee realizing that added to her performance.
Renee's Texas accent was replaced by a flawless British accent. I didn't catch any mistakes whatsoever. Very impressive!
Bridget's boss is Daniel Cleaves, played by Hugh Grant. Daniel is the bad boy Bridget swore she would not fall for. Hugh Grant was also cast perfectly into this role. He was so charming, and although we knew what he was going to do, it was impossible to not fall in love with him.
Colin Firth plays Mark Darcy. Mark is the sweet "geeky" lawyer that constantly reminds Bridget that she used to run naked through his wading pool as a child. Bridget meets Mark as an adult at the annual New Year's Turkey Curry Buffet thrown by her mother (thrown by a neighbor in the book). Sparks do not fly at their first meeting but Mark and Bridget seem to keep running into each other around London.
Colin Firth is such a doll! This is the first movie I have seen that he has been in. He has the cutest little grin. He is wonderful in the movie as well. Not only do Bridget and Mark have a history, but Mark and Daniel have a past rivalry as well. Basically, you end up with Mark versus Daniel. Good boy versus bad boy. Bridget's thoughts of these two men consume most of her thoughts for the whole movie. Don't forget that it IS a romantic comedy in a way, so her romance plays a vital role.
The Humor
I wondered how the writing of the book would translated into the movie. Bridget is quirky and funny in her diary writings, so I did not know how a script could really capture her deepest thoughts. I had also seen many previews and interviews prior to the release of the movie. I feared that it was one of those where the funniest parts are shown in the commercials leaving nothing new for the actual movie. I mean, how much funnier can it get than her oversized granny panty episode I saw in every preview???
We laughed until we cried through the entire movie. Even the so called serious moments were made funny. Bridget gets herself into so many scrapes and situations that the writing captured beautifully. In one scene in particular, Bridget is on an assignment for a television job she has just taken. As they always do for Bridget, things go wrong and the scene is quite hilarious. I have never been in a theater where this has happened but at this point, the entire audience applauded. It was brilliant.
The other characters that weave in and out of Bridget's life all add to the humorous plot. Her mother and father experience a few marital problems. Everyone has friends like hers. Everyone, well maybe NOT everyone, has embarassing situations like hers. And I know that I have Bridget's problem: saying things before you REALLY think about it! We laughed so much at so many parts of the movie.
A Chick Flick?
Maybe so, although there were a lot of guys in the theater, laughing as much as we girls were.
There have been a lot of books lately that are directed to that single, young professional women group, women who cannot seem to find Mr. Right, when Mr. "Is it too late to join a convent" is rampant. Not only do you have Bridget Jones, but you have books such as Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella and A Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank that feature women in their 20s and 30s. I'm one of these young single professionals, so I have thoroughly eaten up these books. They seem to target our insecurities and make us laugh about those.
Not only will single women relate, but married women will relate as well. Who hasn't obsessed over weight, made the goal to quit smoking or to give up some other vice? Who hasn't fallen in love with Mr. Wrong? The humor is universal and will appeal to a wide audience.
The Soundtrack
My friend and I ran right out after the movie to purchase the soundtrack. We loved it. The music was chosen so well to fit the movie. A particular favorite was Bridget's dramatic lip-synching performance of All By Myself while sitting at home alone on New Year's Eve, checking her messages and waiting for the phone to ring. Most of us singles have been there at some point, and the movie even made those feelings of loneliness funny.
While Bridget was performing her version of All By Myself, my friend whispered to me, "they've spied on me!" I agreed. I think that's what made me love this movie so much. I felt great when I walked out. I was happy. I can so relate to Bridget Jones!
Thanks for reading!
Stacy
Bridget, I SO Relate to You!
| Author's Rating: |
|
Pros: Hilarious, Renee Zellweger is great!
Cons: A little predictable but who cares???
The Bottom Line:
One of the best movies I've seen in a long time. I'm now a huge Renee Zellweger fan! She WAS Bridget Jones.
When my friend e-mailed me Friday afternoon at work asking me what I wanted to do on Friday night, she knew as well as I did that there was no question about it. She tossed in going to a baseball game just in case but for both of us, seeing Bridget Jones' Diary was tops on our list of plans. We had high hopes for this movie and were not disappointed!
The Plot
The movie Bridget Jones' Diary is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Helen Fielding. Bridget Jones is a 30-something "singleton" (a.k.a. single person) living in London who chronicles her life in her diary. The movie is her diary, day by day throughout the year.
Bridget makes a number of resolutions in her diary. Although the book lists many, the movie focuses on her quest to stop smoking, to lose weight, quit drinking, and most importantly:
Will not form romantic attachments to any of the following: alcoholics, workaholics, commitment phobics, people with girlfriends or wives, misogynists, chauvinists, megalomaniacs, or emotional f*ckwits.
Will not fantasize about a particular person who embodies these things: my boss.
Which brings me to...
The Cast
I will admit to being very surprised that Renee Zellweger was cast as Bridget Jones. Renee is a Texas girl. Bridget is a Londoner. Renee is skinny. Bridget is "plump." It just didn't seem like a match. But I have to say that Renee Zellweger IS Bridget Jones. She was PERFECT for the part. She played Bridget flawlessly. Give this woman on Oscar! Her performance was that great.
Every other review has pointed this out, but I will as well. Renee put on around 30lbs to play this part and allegedly went from a size 2 to a size 12. Although I thought she looked great and not plump in the least in the movie, it is still a brave thing for an actress in ultra skinny Hollywood to put on those pounds and have her body exposed to millions like that. A super skinny Bridget wouldn't have cut it, and Renee realizing that added to her performance.
Renee's Texas accent was replaced by a flawless British accent. I didn't catch any mistakes whatsoever. Very impressive!
Bridget's boss is Daniel Cleaves, played by Hugh Grant. Daniel is the bad boy Bridget swore she would not fall for. Hugh Grant was also cast perfectly into this role. He was so charming, and although we knew what he was going to do, it was impossible to not fall in love with him.
Colin Firth plays Mark Darcy. Mark is the sweet "geeky" lawyer that constantly reminds Bridget that she used to run naked through his wading pool as a child. Bridget meets Mark as an adult at the annual New Year's Turkey Curry Buffet thrown by her mother (thrown by a neighbor in the book). Sparks do not fly at their first meeting but Mark and Bridget seem to keep running into each other around London.
Colin Firth is such a doll! This is the first movie I have seen that he has been in. He has the cutest little grin. He is wonderful in the movie as well. Not only do Bridget and Mark have a history, but Mark and Daniel have a past rivalry as well. Basically, you end up with Mark versus Daniel. Good boy versus bad boy. Bridget's thoughts of these two men consume most of her thoughts for the whole movie. Don't forget that it IS a romantic comedy in a way, so her romance plays a vital role.
The Humor
I wondered how the writing of the book would translated into the movie. Bridget is quirky and funny in her diary writings, so I did not know how a script could really capture her deepest thoughts. I had also seen many previews and interviews prior to the release of the movie. I feared that it was one of those where the funniest parts are shown in the commercials leaving nothing new for the actual movie. I mean, how much funnier can it get than her oversized granny panty episode I saw in every preview???
We laughed until we cried through the entire movie. Even the so called serious moments were made funny. Bridget gets herself into so many scrapes and situations that the writing captured beautifully. In one scene in particular, Bridget is on an assignment for a television job she has just taken. As they always do for Bridget, things go wrong and the scene is quite hilarious. I have never been in a theater where this has happened but at this point, the entire audience applauded. It was brilliant.
The other characters that weave in and out of Bridget's life all add to the humorous plot. Her mother and father experience a few marital problems. Everyone has friends like hers. Everyone, well maybe NOT everyone, has embarassing situations like hers. And I know that I have Bridget's problem: saying things before you REALLY think about it! We laughed so much at so many parts of the movie.
A Chick Flick?
Maybe so, although there were a lot of guys in the theater, laughing as much as we girls were.
There have been a lot of books lately that are directed to that single, young professional women group, women who cannot seem to find Mr. Right, when Mr. "Is it too late to join a convent" is rampant. Not only do you have Bridget Jones, but you have books such as Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella and A Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank that feature women in their 20s and 30s. I'm one of these young single professionals, so I have thoroughly eaten up these books. They seem to target our insecurities and make us laugh about those.
Not only will single women relate, but married women will relate as well. Who hasn't obsessed over weight, made the goal to quit smoking or to give up some other vice? Who hasn't fallen in love with Mr. Wrong? The humor is universal and will appeal to a wide audience.
The Soundtrack
My friend and I ran right out after the movie to purchase the soundtrack. We loved it. The music was chosen so well to fit the movie. A particular favorite was Bridget's dramatic lip-synching performance of All By Myself while sitting at home alone on New Year's Eve, checking her messages and waiting for the phone to ring. Most of us singles have been there at some point, and the movie even made those feelings of loneliness funny.
While Bridget was performing her version of All By Myself, my friend whispered to me, "they've spied on me!" I agreed. I think that's what made me love this movie so much. I felt great when I walked out. I was happy. I can so relate to Bridget Jones!
Thanks for reading!
Stacy
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