Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)

Directed by: Sharon Maguire | 95 minutes | comedy, romance | Actors: Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Gemma Jones, Jim Broadbent, Paul Brooke, Felicity Montagu, Shirley Henderson, Sally Philips, James Callis, James Faulkner, Charmian May, Celia Imrie

Bridget Jones is a 32-year-old single woman who smokes, drinks and considers herself too fat. Her long-standing status as a bachelor in London is puzzling her. She rigorously decides to quit smoking and drinking and tries to lose weight. In the meantime, she writes down all her experiences in her diary. Soon two men appear in her life. Her boss, the charismatic womanizer Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy whom she knows from her childhood. The latter is arrogant and completely uninterested, but he keeps popping up in Bridget’s life at unexpected moments. Bridget realizes in time that Mark is actually not that bad, but Daniel also wants Bridget’s attention. The fact that the two men also know each other from back in the day and that there are old wounds doesn’t help the whole situation and Bridget soon doesn’t know what to do anymore.

Bridget Jones’s Diary is based on Helen Fielding’s popular book. Single women who enjoy their lives, but are also secretly looking for a nice man, became more and more common from the 90s and Fielding’s book fits in well with that. The fact that Bridget is also an anti-heroine only makes it more fun. Because the chaotic, drinking and smoking Bridget often messes with her life and that makes her very human. The scene in which her corrective underwear is discovered by opponent Hugh Grant provides enough hilarity in a realistic way.

Before the film went into production, the big question was who would play the British heroine. When it came out that Renée Zellweger would play her, there was a lot of criticism. How could a way too thin American play the chubby Bridget? Zellweger silenced everyone by putting on a lot of weight (by Hollywood standards she was fat in the movie), putting on herself a perfect English accent and playing everyone off the screen. Her version of Bridget Jones is not only comical and British, but also likeable: a character that plenty of women, single or not, can identify with. The roles of the two men in Bridget’s life went to two well-known British actors. Hugh Grant plays a slippery jerk for the first time instead of a clumsy good guy, a task he does very well. Grant looks like a fish in water as Daniel Cleaver. Director Maguire also later admitted that Cleaver’s character is quite similar to Grant’s real character. Colin Firth’s casting was an inside joke. Fielding based her book in part on Jane Austen’s famous novel Pride & Prejudice. In a BBC television series Pride & Prejudice, Colin Firth played the male love interest Mr. Darcy. Fielding, in turn, wrote Mark Darcy with Colin Firth in mind. That Firth would be cast as Mark Darcy was therefore only logical.

Because Fielding’s book is written in diary form, Bridget Jones’ voice can be heard throughout the film as a voice-over. This technique fits well with the film. Bridget has humor and her thoughts about situations and people are very comical. In general, the story does not deviate much from a standard romantic comedy, but that is not bad in this case. Bridget Jones’s humor and refreshing character make Bridget Jones’s Diary a modern film. In that respect, the film fits in well with other successful British romantic comedies such as ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’, ‘Notting Hill’ and ‘Love Actually’.

Bridget Jones’s Diary is a delightful romantic comedy that perfectly combines humor and romance. A must for all (single) women.