 Movie
Reviews
with Evelyn Gough.
Bridget Jones's Diary
Directed by Sharon McGuire
 Renee Zellweger plays Bridget Jones with Colin Firth as Mark Darcy.
Hey girls! In your 30s and still single? Tired of going to dinner parties where you are surrounded by smug couples and being asked the inevitable 'How's your love life?'
Sick of seeing Hugh Grant playing a wussy goody-two-shoes?
At last, a movie for every girl who has ever been single, dated a commitment-phobe and made a fool of herself at the office Christmas party.
We're talking Bridget Jones's Diary, the film based on Helen Fielding's hilarious mega-selling novel of the same name, about a woman coping with single life in London and the frightening prospect of dying alone and being eaten by Alsatians.
Bridget (Renee Zellweger) is pretty much your typical 32-year-old with all the typical hang-ups and neuroses of the single girl. She's obsessed with her weight, she smokes like a chimney, drinks like a fish, lusts after her dishy boss (Hugh Grant) and worries about dying old and alone and being found three weeks later partially devoured by dogs.
Her parents (Gemma Jones and Jim Broadbent) are also a major worry. When her mother isn't trying to set her up with some stuffy barrister (Colin Firth) she's off flirting with sleazy salesmen.
If it weren't for her three best friends Shazza (Sally Phillips), Jude (Shirley Henderson) and Tom (James Callis), Bridget would go crazy.
 Does my bum look big in this outfit?
When a much loved book is adapted for the big screen it can cause consternation amongst its fans. If the filmmakers get it right then it's a beautiful thing. If they don't, well... (fingers crossed for Lord Of The Rings).
So the news that Texas-born Zellweger was cast to play the quintessentially British Bridget was greeted with dismay and disbelief. (This reviewer, for one, was horrified.) She is however, fabulous. As well as having the accent down pat, she actually has a bottom after gaining 20 pounds (whatever that is in kilos) for the role, and she's not afraid to show it off! (Check out the fire station scene!) Believe me, as a fan of the book I was worried but her performance is perfect. She is Bridget Jones!
The rest of the cast is also first rate. Most notable: Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver who, thankfully, does not play the bumbling nice guy role, but gets to sleaze it up as Bridget's slimy and oh-so-sexy boss. And believe me, the 'Phwaarr' factor is definitely back. 'Hubba, Hubba!!' Definitely the best thing that Hugh's been in for ages!!
With a screenplay from Richard Curtis, Andrew Davies and the author herself, you know you're on a winner.
This is one of the warmest, funniest romantic comedies I've seen for a long time. (And don't worry guys, you'll enjoy it too).
Rating: 4 stars.
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