Review of Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) by Filipeneto — 26 Oct 2021

This film is perhaps one of the most iconic romantic comedies of the last thirty years. It's very fun, engaging, and the main character, with her blunders and confusions, ends up deserving our sympathy, a factor that makes us wish that everything ends well for her. Of course, with the film being a light and humorous comedy, the happy ending is almost a certainty.

Directed by Sharon Maguire, the film is based on a book that is indirectly inspired by the novel "Pride and Prejudice", by Jane Austen. The story revolves around Bridget Jones, a thirty-year-old women who are still single and decides, on New Year's Eve, to quit smoking, lose weight and find a boyfriend. Of course, her talent for arranging troubles and minor disasters promises to greatly derail those plans, but she quickly finds herself torn between two very different men: Mark Darcy, Jones' mother's favorite, a wealthy family lawyer recently divorced and, on the other hand, her own boss, Daniel Clever, a womanizing, hedonistic and self-centered editor.

For me, the best thing about this film is the perceptible feeling that it seeks to please a wider audience, and be included in the list of family films, rather than being a film focused on women and aimed at female audiences. The film isn't ultra-sentimental, it's not as hyped up or histrionic as some publicity had me think, and the main character isn't as dumb as I thought she would be. That said, yes, it surprised me on the positive side, and it was much better than I imagined it to be. In fact, despite recognizing the film's impact, mainly on popular culture (with several scenes becoming famous even for which, like me, had never seen the film), I just gave it a chance now, because it felt like a movie I wouldn't like to see. Thankfully, I was wrong... even so, the film is not perfect: there is a certain obsession with marriage here that I find reprehensible, as if someone's happiness depended on not being single, or it was not possible to be happy alone.

Renee Zellwegger gets, with this film, one of the defining works of her career as an actress, as it earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and remained in people's memories. She has really done an excellent job and deserves to be commended for it, and particularly for the way she has mastered the British accent and the native English way of being. If I didn't know the actress, I would say she is one hundred percent English. Colin Firth also shone in her role. Being an actor I'm used to seeing in characters that ask for an additional dose of charm, dignity or chivalry, and having already played Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice", he was a natural choice. I like Hugh Grant, he has his usual charm, but he can't seem to be a capable villain as he doesn't seem nasty enough. Last but not least, the excellent contribution of Gemma Jones and Jim Broadbent (who would receive an Oscar that year for another work).

Technically, this film proudly lives, breathes, speaks and claims to be British. With contained production values, it presents us with an elegant cinematography, full of charm, but without artifice or great visual games, as is the hallmark of good British cinema, where light and color, a reliable camera work and editing and a good choice of filming locations guarantees almost half the visuals. The film bets well on creating a funny, light mood without letting itself relax too much. The costumes are an important part of the film, and the way they help to define characters is something to be aware of (Darcy's tasteful and expensive suits, Bridget's tight skirts, the anthological scene of her disguised as a bunny etc.). The film also has a very effective soundtrack, with several well-known songs that easily stays in our memories.