It’s been 15 years since Bridget Jones’s Diary, and my, how some things have changed.
Bridget (portrayed by Renée Zellweger, as only she can) finds herself childless and single — again — but now she’s feeling pressure from her mother and society in general to procreate, or at the very least find a partner in life. Her friends, for the most part, are gone too, with families and kids of their own who allow for last-minute text bailing.
After staring at a 43rd birthday cupcake while alone in her apartment, Bridget hits her limit with the solitude and heads to a music festival with her friend. After some raucousness with a well-known young musician (no spoilers!), she unknowingly meets billionaire Jack (Patrick Dempsey) and the two have a one-night stand.
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Then, as coincidence would have it, while at a christening for her godchild, the uptight-yet-lovable Mr. Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) turns out to be — surprise, surprise — the godfather. They’re thrust back together and after some drinks and flirting, they, too, sleep together.
As you’ve probably gleaned from the trailer and the very title of the movie, Bridget gets pregnant, but doesn’t know which man is the father. You spend the rest of the film switching back and forth between Jack and Mark, right along with Bridget.
This movie is obviously for women, right?
The audience in the theatre was approximately 95 per cent female, so yes, the target audience of this franchise is women. Is that really a surprise? Bridget Jones is a middle-aged woman going through issues that may be familiar to any adult female, so it only makes sense. In most cases, men don’t even get close to feeling the same pressure as a woman does when it comes to having kids and getting married. In Bridget Jones’s Baby, there are plenty of jokes at the expense of men, but then again, there are also many jokes about women, too — so let’s call this a movie about the ridiculousness of modern societal pressures and leave it at that.
Can a man enjoy this film too?
Yes. Funny is funny, and despite the general public’s recent backlash against Zellweger for her perceived plastic surgery, she still nails the character and can make you laugh. It takes two to tango, so to speak, so when we see the hilarity of the one-night-stand aftermath or the realities of online dating, this is stuff that applies to both genders. The movie isn’t very exclusive in that way.
Is there more to this film than Bridget’s love life and pregnancy?
Thankfully, yes. The subplot of a newsroom trying to adjust to the modern era (read: millennials in the workforce) actually delivers some of the film’s funniest laughs. A tribe of young men with man-buns, along with a few women who want to publish stories about “cats who look like Hitler” instead of hard news, invades the newsroom and sends Bridget and her colleagues into a tailspin. Watching them battle the young ones is so hilariously spot-on it’s actually a tad scary.
Are there inside jokes?
Many. Cast members from Bridget Jones’s Diary reappear in their various roles, including James Callis as Bridget’s gay friend Tom and Jim Broadbent as Bridget’s father. Hugh Grant’s beloved character, Daniel, resurfaces… in a way. Again, no spoilers here! But chances are if you’ve seen Diary, many of the jokes will have more of an impact. There’s a very surprising tidbit at the end of the movie that may indicate another sequel…
So what’s the bottom line?
While the obvious target audience is women, both genders can find things to enjoy in the film. Bridget Jones’s Baby is a commentary on modern society’s expectations and the ridiculousness of it all. Despite the general shoddiness of movie sequels, this one was surprisingly delightful.