Renée Zellweger

Colin Firth

Hugh Grant

Jim Broadbent

Gemma Jones

James Callis

Sally Phillips

Shirley Henderson

Embeth Davidtz

Lisa Barbuscia

Celia Imrie

James Faulkner

Charmian May

Paul Brooke

Felicity Montagu

Charlie Caine

Gareth Marks

John Clegg

Salman Rushdie

Matthew Bates

Jeffrey Archer

Patrick Barlow

Rebecca Charles

Honor Blackman

Dominic McHale

Joan Blackham

Joseph Alessi

Rhydian Jai-Persad

Neil Pearson

Paul Ross

Stewart Wright

Claire Skinner

Dolly Wells

Mark Lingwood

Toby Whithouse

David Cann

Lisa Kay

Sulayman Al-Bassam

Donald Douglas

Renu Setna

Emma Amos

Sara Stockbridge

Crispin Bonham-Carter

Sarah Alexander

Brian Donovan

Michelle Guish

Peter McAleese

Patrick Doyle

Gemma Jackson

Martin Walsh

Stuart Dryburgh

Helen Fielding

Andrew Davies

Richard Curtis

Tim Bevan

Eric Fellner

Jonathan Cavendish

Sharon Maguire

David Crozier

Michael Higham

Carmel Jackson

Lorna McGowan

Rachael Fleming

Jane Clark

Andrea Couch

Paul Cross

Paul Inglis

Alan Chesters

Michael Gunner

Shirley Lixenberg

Fergus Clegg

Robert Betts

Buddy Blackwell

Darren De'Ath

Marc Wolff

Peter Robertson

Alex Bailey

Stephen Noble

Graham Johnston

Vanessa White

Josephine Warne

Ray Bell-Chambers

Alison Mahoney

Colin Laski

Paul Brosnan

Jeanette Haley

Amy Coop

Peter Brayham

David Warren

Martin Preston

Stacy Mann

Mike Clark-Hall

John Seymour

Pat Rambaut

Peter Hunt

Alastair Grimshaw

Chris Gilbertson

Gary Colkett

Liza Chasin

Debra Hayward

Michelle Wright

Benjamin Greenacre

Wendy Ellerker

Hermione Ninnim

Em. L. Muslin

Tony Bell

Nick Angel

Lawrence Ashmore

John Hayward

Glenn Freemantle

David Harris

Hal Couzens

Matthew Holben

Frazer Churchill

Andy Richards

Michael Denner

Claire Tovey

Janice Mordue

Adam Dale

Charlie England

Nick Ray

Malcolm Beale

Natalie Ward

Laura Gwynne

Stuart Renfrew

Finn McGrath

Ed Raymond

Louis Elman

Gaby Kester

Gillian Dodders

Tom Sayers

Peter Holt

Tonia Davall

Bruce Bigg

David John

Sheridan Jones

Fiona Coutts

Carlo Manzi

Cilla Ware

Fiona Gosden

Peter Hasler

Carol Kupisz

Bridget Jones Collection

Comedy

Romance

Drama

Bridget Jones's Diary

Universal Pictures

StudioCanal

Miramax

Working Title Films

Little Bird

Ireland

United States of America

France

United Kingdom

English

daughter

london, england

lovesickness

england

sexual frustration

alcohol

parent child relationship

telecaster

birthday

cigarette

diary

lawyer

reporter

extramarital affair

duringcreditsstinger

woman director

Peter McGinn

Great little charmer. But avoid the sequels like a bad Christmas sweater

I think you need to like romantic comedies to enjoy this movie, and that eliminates a lot of guys who tolerate Rom-Coms for the sake of their ladies. And I wonder if they hadn't chosen the actors and actresses for the dozen or so lead and supporting roles so well, this film would have been more of a stinker. But they procured a fine ensemble cast and that keeps the smell down to a bare minimum. 

There are awkward, cringe-worthy moments that don't make me giggle as they are supposed to - too much gray in my hair, perhaps? (And there isn't that much really!) But despite those awkward lines, to paraphrase a line in the movie, I like it just the way it is. And I think it should have been kept just the way it was. I am now referring to the sequels. Don't get me started, please. The follow-up turned into what just referred to, what the original film could have been like if they hadn't kept their eye on the proverbial ball. As for the second sequel, I just found out today that it exists and I will keep my distance. Stick to the original, I say, and let the rest of the franchise float unbidden out there, just beyond the corner of your eye.

_**Edgy, cute and amusing romcom with Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth**_ 

A cute female in London (Renée Zellweger) is concerned about spinsterhood & other womanly issues and so starts an honest diary that narrates her misadventures catching the eye of her suave boss at a publishing company (Hugh Grant), her quirky friends and her relationship with a boring man she hates but somehow finds quietly attractive (Colin Firth).    

“Bridget Jones’s Diary” (2001) is an English romcom that tries to be edgy, cute and amusing simultaneously. While it goes overboard with the cussing (less is always more) and the accents are too thick to grasp at times, the flick eventually won me over because it tries so hard and everything builds to a comical melee. It helps that Renée is adorable in a roundish way and is tastefully shown in alluring apparel, including a playboy bunny outfit.     

The film runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot London, Surrey, Gloucestershire and Hertfordshire, England.

GRADE: B

CinemaSerf

I was watching a documentary on the late Dame Maggie Smith the other day that was narrated by the amiable Celia Imrie (herself still awaiting that particular gong) and she brings that affability to this rather dated but enjoyable comedy drama too. It's all centred around the loveless "Bridget" (Renée Zellweger) who hasn't had sex for a while and has the hots for her floppy-haired boss "Daniel" (Hugh Grant). After a few rather embarrassing encounters, they finally do hook up but then she discovers he's a bit of a rake and takes a new job in television working for sleazebag tele-journalist "Finch" (Neil Pearson). Thanks to an incident with a fireman's pole, that doesn't exactly go to plan either, but it does offer her the opportunity to get it together with posh barrister "Mark" (Colin Firth). Now she's known him for a while but took an instant dislike to him at a curry party, so what's changed? Has she discovered a new penchant for striped suits and wigs? I remember reading the book at the time and feeling a certain degree of sympathy with old "Bridj". It was just at the start of the now all-encompassing validation culture when we'd dial 1471 on our land-lines when we get home only to find nobody had called (again) and where office instant messaging was rendering scuttlebutt obsolete as gossip and flirtation became the order of many a professional day. It's that culture of feeling needed, liked and wanted that Helen Fielding encapsulated so well with this character. Hapless, yes, but decent and given a chance - loving too. Zellweger delivers charmingly and enthusiastically, as does in a more roguish form Hugh Grant. As to Firth, I'm never quite sure how much acting he ever actually does anyway, but here his contribution works well too. It does struggle almost a quarter of a century later to resonate - especially the fisticuffs in the restaurant scene, but it still has enough wit and pith in the cleverly crafted and observational script to raise a chortle and be grateful for a series of daft scenarios that poke fun at the whole business of courtship amongst the young and the old. Also, of course, Celia gets to look shocked and amazed as only she can, too.

<em>'Bridget Jones’s Diary'</em> delivers enough, it is fairly amusing and moves along well across around 90 minutes. Renée Zellweger plays a Brit impressively, something that feels quite rare to say about an American actor. She is excellent throughout, particularly for the comedy.

I will say that I didn't really sense any proper onscreen chemistry with her and the eventual bloke she lands with (won't spoiler whom), Zellweger had more with the other dude to be honest. Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are in this in those respective roles, no surprise to say they are both good.

About time I got this watched, being from its country of origin and all that. I had heard of it for as long as I can remember, it's a popular film evidently. Despite that, the only things I knew coming into this were the lead cast and, eh, the main character's preferred choice of underwear... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Oh, and I was also aware of Gabrielle's banger "Out of Reach", which I knew originated from this movie. I didn't, though, know "It's Raining Men" by Geri Halliwell (another tune, don't @ me) also gained popularity due to this. How about that.

Bridget Jones’ Birthday Dinner (Blue Soup Scene)

Bridget Jones Gets A Confession From Mark Darcy

Bridget's New Year’s Resolution

Bridget Jones at 20 - director Sharon Maguire in conversation | BFI Woman with a Movie Camera Q&A

Bridget Jones's Diary( 2001)

All women keep score... Only the great ones put it in writing.

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A review by Peter McGinn

Written by Peter McGinn on Sat Apr 04 2020

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