Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

Stephen Silver started his review by saying, “The Bridget Jones’ Diary phenomenon, based on the work of Helen Fielding, always struck me as a British version of Sex and the City. Both got their start in the 1990s as newspaper columns and later books about the sexual adventures of a woman in the big city.”

Silver continued, “The first movie, Bridget Jones’ Diary, arrived in 2001, which was at the zenith of Sex in the City-mania. Like SATC, the franchise has continued into its third decade, first with the heroine settling down with one of her long-term male suitors. And now, also like Sex and the City’s sequel series And Just Like That, the Jones film series has the protagonist (Renee Zellweger) in her early-50s, and single again after the death of her husband.”

The new movie, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” released last month on Peacock, and it’s decent – enough that it probably deserved at least an obligatory theatrical, like it got in the U.K. The previous movies were all box office hits. The film skillfully ties among laughs that are faithful to the franchise, callback and fan service, and pulling at the heartstrings. Most of the fan-favorite side characters in the previous movies, from Emma Thompson’s gynecologist to Sarah Solemani’s news anchor, also return.

Silver noted, ‘Colin Firth’s Mark Darcy was always depicted as a prince of a guy, much more so than his fellow dead husband, Mr. Big.” However, as the movie starts, we find out that Darcy passed away four years earlier while doing humanitarian work in Darfur, leaving Bridget with two young children, even though Firth appears in a couple of flashbacks.

As the movie starts, Bridget is mourning not only her husband but also her father, reprised by Jim Broadbent, who passed way more recently but encouraged her to start living life again, both by going back to work and getting back into dating. However, despite the last film, “Bridget Jones’s Baby,” saying that Hugh Grant’s dishonorable old flame, Daniel Cleaver, was himself dead, the revival Grant is back in this film, having faked his death.

The two don’t get back together, but she’s there to help him make up for his life of jerkiness, and take a chance at reconnecting with his estranged son. Grant’s handful of scenes are mainly the highlights of the film.

Instead, we’re back to the first film’s formula of Bridget, stuck between two mean while occasionally having funny public embarrassments. This time, her possible men are a much younger, frequently shirtless park ranger (Leo Woodall) and her child’s teacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

Nothing surprising happens, and some callbacks are legitimately emotional. Silver noted, “The new movie’s dropping of its heroine into early-50s singledom is done much more smoothly, and less awkwardly, than the And Just Like That version.”

Silver continued, “A whole book—and possibly a You Must Remember This season—could probably be produced about the career travails of Renee Zellweger and what they say about the treatment of actresses of a certain age. She was cast as Bridget Jones a quarter century ago, at a time when both her weight gain for the part and her non-Britishness were treated as major controversies, as was the time in 2014 when she showed up on a red carpet looking unlike herself.”

Silver went on, “Her big comeback role came in 2019’s Judy, where she won an Oscar for playing Judy Garland in a performance much better than the movie that contained it.” However, for some reason, six years later, the new Bridget Jones is her first movie role of any type since. As always, she’s a great on-screen actress and was the right choice to play Bridget from way back then.

This was a surprise, just like the last sequel. However, I think people will get into this one more so than the last one. However, with what happens during the end credits, I think they have honestly ended the franchise off. Watch this on Peacock when you get the chance and have a fun time with it.

Thank you for joining in on “Bridget Jones’s Month.” I hope everyone enjoyed it and hopefully everyone has seen the franchise now. Stay tuned next month to see what I will review next.

Bridget Jones's Baby

Who could dislike Bridget Jones, the crazy eccentric protagonist whose 2016 viewing, in “Bridget Jones’s Baby,” finds her back where she started: alone and single?

Stephen Holden asked in his review, “Yet you have to wonder: A decade and a half on, does Bridget still have a place in a popular culture where the carbonated dreamland of romantic comedy is hardening into a sexual battleground and the very notion of Prince Charming seems an increasingly ludicrous anachronism?”

Holden continued, “Like the recent “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie,” or the film spinoffs of “Sex and the City,” “Bridget Jones’s Baby” trades on nostalgia for the characters’ quaint misbehavior and silly fantasies of yesteryear. Renee Zellweger, crinkly eyed and confident Bridget, still chasing what she calls “happily ever after.” But the question nags: What planet does she think he inhabits?” The London shown here might as well be Planet C, as in cute.”

In this film, directed by Sharon Maguire, from a screenplay by Helen Fielding, Dan Mazar, and Emma Thompson, Bridget is now a successful producer of a cheesy television news show. On the broadcast, Bridget is the newscaster, her friend Miranda, played by Sarah Solemani, text from the sides.

In the beginning, Bridget celebrates her 43^rd birthday with a cupcake that only has a single candle as the song All by Myself, which was in the first film, plays on the soundtrack. Holden noted, “When the music abruptly segues to House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” a lip-syncing Bridget leaps onto her bed and bounces up and down like a 7-year-old on a sugar high.” However, Bridget has grown up in one significant way: Her fascination with diet and weight loss has decreased, and finally she looks at peace with her body.

Holden said, “What follows are a series of mildly farcical misadventures that revolve around Bridget’s unexpected pregnancy after dalliances with two dreamboats who appear as if summoned by a genie.” The most unlikely, Jack, played by Patrick Dempsey, is of a dating website who pulls her out of the mud at the Glastonbury music festival, which she attends with Miranda and which the movie shows as a cheap, loud circus. The friends are so clueless about contemporary music that they don’t recognize the singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran when they ask him to take their picture.

Holden mentioned, “The other possible father is Bridget’s old flame Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), who is so dour that when he flashes a smile late in the movie you half expect a heavenly choir to erupt with hosannas. Mr. Firth’s caricature of scowling British reserve masking a tender heart is pitch perfect. Because Bridget is afraid to have the amniocentesis procedure that would reveal the baby’s paternity, the rest of the movie is a guessing game with no surprises.

When “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” the first novel in Helen Felding’s series, was published in 1996 (the screen adaptation came five years later), the term millennial had been conceived but not yet popularized. Holden said, “The new movie acknowledges generational turnover by giving Bridget a cold but kooky new boss (Kate O’Flynn) who spouts enigmatic gobbledygook in an affectedly lowbrow accent.” However, it’s not enough to make “Bridget Jones’s Baby” feel at all with today’s standards. Holden mentioned, “A welcome splash of cold water is provided by Ms. Thompson in her sensible nanny mode, playing Bridget’s unflappably severe gynecologist.”

Despite the amount of mostly warm jokes that keeps the comedic tone at a quiet boil, “Bridget Jones’s Baby” doesn’t harden. Zellweger goes through the film, charming but strangely disconnected from her men. When she finally goes into labor, she is rushed to the hospital by Jack and Mark, who carry her through the streets and brave the predictable obstacles – a traffic jam and a demonstration. In the funniest absurd moment (not very), the three are stuck in a revolving door at the hospital’s entrance.

Even though this may not be as good as the last films, it is still a good one to check out. This is currently streaming on Max, so if you have been a fan of the franchise, then you can see this one just fine. See it and give it a chance.

Next week I will be ending off “Bridget Jones’s Month” with the latest sequel that was released last month. Sorry for the late posting. I was really busy with preparing for some stuff when I came home from work.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

Does anyone have that friend you know for a long time and you shake your head in admiration and then eventually realize you’re shaking your head in misery? Bridget Jones would be that type of friend.

She’s miserably lovable, and she’s always going to be a friend whether you like it or not, but, really, who but Bridget, with her remorseful diary entries for alcohol and drug consumption per day, would end up getting arrested in Thailand on drug-smuggling charges?

Obviously, Bridget is not a drug smuggler, but being Bridget, she did the one thing no tourist should ever do, and that is to carry in her luggage a souvenir giving to her girl friend by a main. However, Bridget has pluck. In very little time, she exchanged her pink bra for cigarettes, organized her prison inmates into a Madonna class, and they’re rehearsing Like a Virgin.

Roger Ebert said in his review, ““Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” is a jolly movie and I smiled pretty much all the way through, but it doesn’t shift into high with a solid thunk the way “Bridget Jones's Diary” (2001) did.” In the first movie, things happened to Bridget. In the 2004 sequel, Bridget happens to things.

As the movie starts, Bridget is in a happy relationship with Mark Darcy, reprised by Colin Firth, who to her surprised became her boyfriend in the previous film. Ebert noted, “Plump Bridget, in love with a hunk! She’s still working as an on-air personality for a TV show which seems to be running its private version of “Fear Factor” just for Bridget; surely this girl is not ready to sky dive?” Or ski? Or manage a romance without getting awkwardly jealous of the quality time Mark seems to be spending with his colleague Rebecca, played by Jacinda Barrett? However, she loves the man. Who else could keep him standing outside her door while she finishes leaving a message for him on his answering machine? Especially when the message is, essentially, that he is standing outside even as she speaks?

Bridget depends as before on the wisdom of three friends whose advice is dependably dangerous. They are Shazzer (Sally Phillips), Tom (James Callis), and Jude (Shirley Henderson), and they support her when she and Mark have a completely unreasonable fight. Bridget flies off to Thailand on assignment and discovers that her former boyfriend Daniel, reprised by Hugh Grant, is already there. This is a man she should never, ever, have anything to do with, but because she is mad at Mark, she allows herself to be taken over by a position where Daniel can cry happily: “Please! Please be wearing the giant panties!”

Ebert pointed out, “Renee Zellweger is lovable to begin with, and combining her with Bridget Jones creates a critical mass of cuteness: You don’t want to just watch her, you want to tickle her ears and scratch under her chin. She has that desperately hopeful smile, and the endearing optimism of a woman in a dress two sizes too small. When she embarrasses herself, it’s big-time, as when she single-handedly causes Mark’s table to lose the annual quiz at the Law Society Dinner.”

The scenes in Thailand, it must be said, project beyond apparatus. Ebert described, “Bridget is the kind of woman who is more at home dealing with the sorts of things that could happen to anybody, like dropping a rock Cornish game hen down the front of her dress. She isn’t made for cocaine busts. And it’s a little mystifying why Daniel and Mark, two relatively important and successful men no longer in their first youth, have another brawl over her. Their motivation, I think, is that the fight in the first movie was so funny.” Hugh Grant is so good at losing his dignity that we forget what masterful acting it takes to guarantee us he has any. Colin Firth basically plays the good guy, never a choice role. Scoundrels always have more fun in comedies.

Ebert said, “Standing back from “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,” I can see that the perfection of the first film has been replaced here by a series of comic episodes that could as easily be about anything else.” The movie doesn’t have the awful necessity of the first film’s journey for true love. If we didn’t know better, we’d think the sequel slightly plans her way into situations because she knows how cute she looks when she gets in trouble.

Ebert ended his review by admitting, “Still, at the end of the day, I left hoping there will be a Bridget 3. Long may she squint and bravely smile and keep tugging her neckline up and believe in love.”

As I stated last week, I remember seeing the trailer for this movie a long time ago, even before I knew this was a sequel. Then I saw the beginning on VOD but stopped for some reason. Many years passed before I saw the first one then I checked out the second one and I know that critics don’t like it, but I loved it. If you saw the first movie and liked it, I would say see the sequel on Max and give it a chance. If you don’t like it, I understand, but at least see it to know for sure if you like it or not.

Next week, I will look at the third movie, which took years before it came out. Apologies for the late posting. Today’s my sister’s birthday, so we were celebrating that with her.

The Wild Robot

Tonight, on Peacock, I finished watching “The Wild Robot,” released in 2024, while exercising and I will let everyone know what I thought about this film.

When a storm at sea removes a shipping container from a cargo ship, a large box goes on a faraway island preoccupied only animals.

Damaged and bruised but very resilient, the only thing in the box is a Rozzum 7134 android assistant, voiced by Lupita Nyong’o, that can walk, talk, gather information and help around the house. She’s made to service.

Confused about her friendly demeanor, the animals (beavers, possums, porcupines, deer, bears) see Roz as a monster and try to kill her – until accidently she falls on a nest breaking all but one goose egg.

Susan Granger said in her review, “When the abandoned gosling hatches, the baby bird imprints on dutiful Roz as she evolves into a maternal role although, as she admits, ‘I do not have the programming to be a mother’.”

Calling him Brightbill, Roz looks through her database to try to teach him basic skills – helped by Fink (Pedro Pascal), a scheming fox, and Pinktail (Catherine O’Hara), a bothered possum mother.

As Brightbill (Kit Connor) grows, Roz realizes that the time is coming for the local herd of geese to migrate and, despite Brightbill resists leaving the nest from his home and family, he, thankfully, has a Canadian goose mentor, Longneck (Bill Nighy), as he tries to follow the geese herd flying south for the winter.

There’s an important lesson here: If Roz properly does her job as a mother, her child will eventually leave.

Granger pointed out, “Written and directed by Chris Sanders (“Lilo & Stitch,” “How to Train Your Dragon”), this futuristic story of survival, parenting and community is based on a 2016 best-selling books by Peter Brown and is Oscar-nominated for Best Animation, Sound and Original Score.”

It’s obvious there will be a sequel, since “The Wild Robot” includes only the first part of a trilogy of the novels.

I had heard about this movie from my sister, I believe, but I never went to the theaters to see this. It’s a shame because I think this would have been a good theater experience. See this on Peacock because this is a good family film for everyone to see. You will love it as it has a very feel good, heartwarming feeling after watching it.

Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Stay tuned this Friday for the continuation of “Bridget Jones Month.”

Bridget Jones's Diary

Since last month had the new Bridget Jones movie released on Peacock, I thought that for this month, I would review the entire series. Seems fitting seeing how March is Women’s History Month. Let’s start off with the first movie, “Bridget Jones’s Diary, released in 2001.

Amazingly fresh and funny, “Bridget Jones’s Diary” is a nice reminder of just how good – and how pointed – British comedies can be. KenHanke said in his review, “In a world seemingly overrun with truly stupid and truly tasteless attempts at humor in such rubbishy offerings as Say It Isn’t So and Tomcats (as well as the by-the-numbers blandness of Someone Like You), it’s a double delight to come upon this sort of genuinely edgy, bright, and creative filmmaking. Bridget Jones’ Diary is a film in the spirit of My Beautiful Laundrette, Sammy and Rosie Get Laid, How to Get Ahead in Advertising and A Man of No Importance. In short, it’s an honest-to-goodness piece of filmmaking that dares to be different and obviously hasn’t been test-marketed into just so much cinematic cheese whiz.”

Based on the book by Helen Fielding (who also worked on the screenplay), the film goes over a year in the life of Bridget Jones, played by Renee Zellweger, a slightly overweight, heavy-drinking, heavy-smoking book publicist with a liking for embarrassing public speaking and a habit to say exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time. Complicating her already disruptive life is her silly, matchmaking mother (Gemma Jones), her distracted and confused father (Jim Broadbent), and so many well-meaning, completely dysfunctional friends. Unsurprisingly, Bridget’s romantic life is a complete disaster and looks to stay that way when her mother tries to set her up with lawyer Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth, who looks like a case of wary at first sight. Instead of speaking with him, she ends up being in bed with her charming boss Daniel Cleaver, played by Hugh Grant (who looks too good to be true – which he obviously is). Hanke said, “Generally speaking, the plot is not exciting in itself — and much as is the case with the recent Someone Like You, the ending is pretty much a foregone conclusion. (Anyone who doesn’t know with whom Bridget is going to find true love is in dire need of a remedial-movie-plot course.)” The difference is that “Bridget Jones’s Diary” comes to the end with fun, style, constantly smart lines (often very vulgar) delivered by a completely perfect cast, a true feeling of fun that extends to its soundtrack (the British feel like they can actually use a pop song soundtrack that mixes into the film), and best of all, the wonderful characters whose oddness make them more human than less.

Zellweger was originally born in Texas but she is completely convincing, charming, and touching as Bridget. Hanke credited, “It’s a model performance that — perhaps not accidentally — comes off as a rather more sexy and savvy, yet less cynical, variant of Lynn Redgrave in Georgy Girl.” Colin Firth has a very complex role that calls for him to appear very humorless and unlikable, while being anything but that underneath, and he somehow does it well. However, the disclosure for many is probably going to be Hugh Grant, an actor best known for showing off being handsome and working his stuttering charm for everything. Hanke noted, “Basically, there are two ways of using Hugh Grant to advantage (at least in the dramatic sense). In a successful Hugh Grant performance, the filmmaker has usually cast him to type in a manner where his basic limitations — his slightly priggish, seeming lack of imagination — work for the film (The Lair of the White Worm, Bitter Moon, Sirens). Only once before — in the little-seen An Awfully Big Adventure — has Grant really been called on act, as he has here. Cast against type as a thorough scoundrel who gets by on his looks, charm, and wit, Grant comes through with a nuanced performance that manages to make you detest him and yet succumb to his charm at the same time — not the work of a mere personality with a pretty face.” The rest of the cast is equally fine, but maybe the name to watch is first-time director Sharon Maguire. This woman is a natural filmmaker who mixes an unsolidified, vibrant, personal cinematic style with the ability to honestly direct actors (something a lot of modern filmmakers seem to have overlooked). If this film is the hit it deserved to be, Maguire is at the start of a career that might go anywhere.

I remember seeing the trailers for the second movie, not knowing it was a sequel. Years later, I got the first film from the library, if I remember correctly, and watched that. This is a very good comedy that I think everyone should see. Even though the main woman is not British, give her credit, she did a good job. If you’re a fan of the lead actors, then this one should be seen by you. This is currently streaming on Max, so check it out on there.

Look out next week when we look at the sequel in “Bridget Jones Month.”

Bob Marley: One Love

“Bob Marley: One Love,” released in 2024, follows the reggae star’s persona, rise to fame, exile in London, and death, with the Smile Jamaica concert and the political conflict as the setting.

You will find the reggae singer’s image drawn on posters, walls of bars, and merchandise almost everywhere you go. The famous dreadlocks, beanie hat, and the message of love, peace, and unity have been central to music and pop culture even over 40 years since his passing in 1981. Reinaldo Marcus Green’s biopic shows Bob Marley, played by Kingsley Ben-Adir, the Rastafarian, and re-establishes these parts of his life and times.

Written by Green, Terence Winter, Frank E Flowers, and Zach Baylin, the narrative does not do the usual linear format of childhood, rise to fame, struggles, and downfall. It refers to his life story occasionally in short flashbacks. The film is mainly about the two years Bob, aka Nesta, spent in London after an assassination attempt on him, his band, and wife Rita Marley, played by Lashana Lynch, due to the political conflict in 1976. While the narrative stays true to the basic idea, it gives no look on how he became such a huge star or what leaving his home and being away from his family meant to him.

Dhaval Roy said in his review, “The screenplay turns incohesive and languid. That said, the aesthetics, operatic background music, Robert Elswit’s cinematography make this a riveting watch. The recreation of Marley’s stage performances, especially the song War at the Smile Jamaica show, will give you goosebumps and make you want to revisit his music again.” The cinematic feel gives the movie great appeal.

Kingsley Ben-Adir becomes Bob Marley and has a strong hold on the portrayal throughout. The persona as a musician, a Rastafarian, and a believer of peace and unity is shown through. On the other end, his difficult relationship with Rita is look on briefly, and is overlooked so fast. Lashana Lynch deserves just as many credits of her powerful performance.

Roy said, “From being treated to Marley’s smash hits, including Get Up, Stand Up, No Woman, No Cry, etc. Fans of Marley’s music and personality will have a treat watching this. But those clued in about him as a revolutionary may find the screenplay lacking.”

However, the aesthetics and performances make it worth seeing.

I saw this on Amazon Prime thinking that this would be a life story of Bob Marley. However, what we got wasn’t what I expected. For people who may not know his history will not like this so much, but that is not to say that this is bad. It is a decent film if we didn’t get everything we wanted from the film. However, still check it out, but bear in mind, this is just fine.

Thank you so much for tuning in to this year’s “Black History Movie Month.” I hope everyone enjoyed it, as I did more recent films this time around again. Look out next month to see what I will review next.

The Color Purple (2023)

When the idea for a musical based on Alice Walker’s The Color Purple first came up, it was understandable why there would be some who would consider it a really bad idea to make. The novel and original film adaptation are loved by so many, and the idea of adding songs into what’s already a very powerful story could be seen as superfluous or just out of place. Jeff Beck said in his review, “However, all of that was quickly dismissed when the Broadway show became a big success, earning a whopping 11 Tony Award nominations in the process.” Even though it may have taken a while to make, a film adaptation was announced in late 2018, finally giving everyone else the opportunity to see how well a 2023 musical version of the classic story holds up.

Starting in Georgia in 1909, we meet young Celie Harris (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi), who lives with her father Alfonso (Deon Cole) and sister Nettie (Halle Bailey). Her father is a very cruel person who began raping her after the death of her mother, and she gave birth to two babies that Alfonso took away. He then forces her to marry a farmer named Mister, played by Colman Domingo, who also abuses her. Trying to escape their father, Nettie moves in with them for a small time, but is kicked out after rejecting Mister trying to come over her. As the years go by, Celie (Fantasia Barrino) stays stuck in this abusive marriage, with other people entering her life along the way, including the loud wife of Mister’s son Harpo (Corey Hawkins), Sofia (Danielle Brooks), and a jazz singer that Mister is seeing named Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson), while also thinking if she’ll ever hear back from her very missed sister.

Beck credited, “Within just a few minutes, this feature film adaptation of Alice Walker's novel and the hit Broadway show goes a long way towards silencing any doubters as to whether such a thing could possibly work. The music, for the most part, is quite good. There's a fine mix of catchy, uplifting, and generally well-suited numbers to go along with this emotional tale of family and making your way through a terrible situation. The presentation of the musical numbers does come off as a bit stagey at times, but it's a musical, and such a handsomely-mounted one, that chances are you either won't notice or simply won't care.”

You could easily continue with how great the film looks, with its impressive production design and costumes beautifully bringing the story to life, and while those elements do deserve all of that credit, the main part that makes the film work as well as it does is the phenomenal cast. Nominated for SAG’s Best Cast award as one of the five best ensembles of the year, the cast includes Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks (who also earned an Oscar nomination), Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, and many more. Beck said, “Because of them, the emotional richness of the material comes through perfectly, making it remarkably easy to get engaged with the characters and their intriguing storylines.”

Overall, despite there being no particular reason that a musical version of this story being able to work, the creators of the original show (and subsequently these filmmakers) have proved that, with the right kind of music & a remarkably talented cast, even a strange idea like this can turn out extremely well. As always, it’s a complete enjoyment to be taken completely by surprise by something like this, especially when it surprisingly ends up being one of the very best films of that year.

Blitz Bazawule’s “The Color Purple” is an amazing musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s classic novel and the great Broadway show, brought to life by a remarkably talented cast, and having an impressive selection of songs, ending up being a surprising success and one of the best films of 2023.

If you remember my review of the original movie and how much I loved that one, I was surprised that they decided to come out with a musical version of this play. When I saw it on Max while exercising, I was surprised by it that I loved it. Both films are good in their own ways and I think everyone should see the musical version if they have Max. They will love this film a lot as it is very fitting with this month.

Next week I will finish off this year’s “Black History Movie Month” with another biopic. Apologies for the late posting. Once again, I completely forgot what day of the week it was and that I had to make this review.