Bridget Jones's Diary

Rating:
Summary: My favorite movie....
Review: I was not a big Renée Zellweger fan until this movie. Maybe it's not really her, maybe it's the character I fell in love with. I, myself am a Briget Jones type person, always saying the wrong thing and saying it badly (like I'm doing here???), always getting into predicaments without even trying, so I identified with her and understood her right away. Her friends are all whacky but but lovable and who love her too. Which is what I love so much about this story. Bridget finds a man who loves her just the way she is...with all her silly faults.

Rating:
Summary: See the movie, then read the book.
Review: Samuel Pepys, Sue Townsend, and now Helen Fielding. Bridget Jones's Diary has its place amongst the works of Britain's greatest diarists. If you are like me and revelled in Helen Fielding's remarkably witty written work then you will probably be somewhat disappointed by the movie. Perhaps a more apt title to the movie should have be "Bridget Jones's Diary - Abridged". I note that Helen Fielding herself executive produced and co-write the screenplay and all I can ask is, what happened? Don't get me wrong, the movie if examined by itself is actually decent, Renee Zellweger is absolutely spot on as Bridget Jones in her search for "inner poise". I thought the casting of Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver and Colin Firth (reprising his role in Pride and Prejudice as "Darcy") was genius and quite the inside joke. In the end it wasn't the actors or the acting that let me down, it was the way the screenplay seem to completely water down the clever wit and charm of the written material. If you've seen the movie, whether you liked it or not, I urge you to read the book and be prepared to laugh out loud. I feel like the subtle farcical complexity of Bridget Jones's inner voice was given the Hollywood treatment and reduced to a rather straight forward romantic picture. The subtlety of Jane Austen replaced by Fatal Attraction (what was THAT all about?). I think the movie makes the classic mistake of almost all paper to film translation, it over simplifies and spoon feeds the audience. I think it's too late to do anything about it, but maybe if Ang Lee directs the Edge of Reason it can be saved.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent use of music
Review: Bridget fails to provide a convincing reason for men to line up at her doorstep with matrimony in mind. It just happens in the end. The fault lies not with Renee Zellweger with her flawless performance but perhaps with the script or direction or the failure of Colin Firth to convince the viewer of the transformation that takes place that draws him to Bridget - as I said it happens as a requirement of the plot.

But for me this was only a minor flaw in what was otherwise an entertaining film. The various plot sequences - really character development sketches are on the whole well done. The emotional feelings of Bridget to her evolving situation are enhanced with a skillful choice of songs. For me it was the use of music that raised this to a 4 star production.

Poor use was made of the two outstanding performers Jim Broadbent and Shirley Henderson ("Yum-Yum" in Topsy Turvy) in what could only be called minor roles. The ensemble casting was only average.

I can't disagree with other reviewers about the over use of the "f" word but it plays an important role in emphasizing the
common place nature of the characters.

I do not regret buying this DVD

Rating:
Summary: Best fight scene EVER!!!
Review: This may be more of a chick-flick, but I can't imagine any woman out there NOT liking this film and wanting to watch it again and again. The fight scene is worthy of awards. Why this scene didn't win best fight scene on the MTV video awards is beyond me. The fight takes place in the street and in a busy restuarant with "It's Raining Men" by Ginger Spice. It is a MUST SEE!!!

Rating:
Summary: Lighthearted fun
Review: Fantastic movie, other reviewers have said it all. If you liked this I recommend seeing "Love, Actually" which just came out in theaters recently-Colin Firth and Hugh Grant are in another movie being adorable with the welcome addition of Liam Neeson.

Rating:
Summary: SO much better than I expected
Review: I really, really, really didn't like the book, so I was exceedingly reluctant to see the movie - but wow, it's so much better than I expected. One of those rare cases in which the book falls short of the movie. The book: I just wanted Bridget to quit kvetching and obsessing about every single thing and get on with her life; it was too repetitive. The Movie: charming! A lot had to do with the actors: Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, and Colin Firth.
It's hard to steal a movie from Grant, but Zellweger manages to do it by playing an inept misfit in society, always foot-in-mouth, off key, dressed wrong - and lusting after the wrong guy. Just in case you haven't see it or read other reviews, I won't mention who the wrong guy is.
Order a pizza, pour a beer, kick off your shoes, and have a fun evening. It's not great cinema (and it sure wasn't great literature), but it's way fun.

Rating:
Summary: A delight - preferably savored after "Pride & Prejudice"
Review: This DVD, even if you've seen it in the theaters during its first showing, is even more entertaining if you watch its semi-source material, the 1995 BBC "Pride and Prejudice" miniseries, or read Jane Austen's book. Nobody could play Mr. Darcy, in either the 20th or 19th century, other than Colin Firth.

While the idea of a Texan like Zellweger playing Bridget was received with the same... actually, the same reaction Englishwoman Vivien Leigh got for winning the part of Scarlett O'Hara... you'll be amazed at how well she pulls it off, from her accent to her evident embarassment at the failed "Vicars and Tarts" party.

Although the jazzy background DVD music doesn't fit with the movie's more upbeat tone - gah! Bridget's far too unsophisticated, and it would have been much funnier to have the disc spin with "All By Myself," as in the picture - this DVD boasts an interesting variety of features, from the first newspaper column that later became "Bridget Jones' Diary" to videos of songs featured in the film.

Rating:
Summary: HA HA HA hahaha haha and HA
Review: Magnificient fun! Sure, it's a take off on pride and prejudice, but so much more rollicking than that tale could EVER be! Hugh is delicious as Bridget's cad of a boss!!! [Is skirt out sick today??] Bridget is funny and endearing. Just a really funny, feel good film.

Rating:
Summary: a skeptic viewer from NYC"i like you, just as you are"
Review: where can you meet a man on this earth who would unequivocally say "i like you very much, just as you are". IN YOUR DREAMS!!
this is a wholesome film (except for the "f__ word blatantly said more than i can digest)and indeed entertaining in many respects.. you can't go wrong with colin firth!
and renee zellweger is outstanding as a britton, i must say.
the music score is great, in my opinion. actually, the film is better than the book.
i can't wait to see the sequel in 2004. i recommend this film to all romantics.. you will not regret..

Rating:
Summary: A terrific evening's entertainment
Review: _Bridget Jones's Diary_ was a very funny book and it makes a very funny movie. Renee Zellweger has been making movies for a decade but only recently has she begun to hit the Big Time. She certainly hits the mark here as a lovable, loopy Londoner in her thirties (same age as the actress) who is trying to deal with the prospect of spinsterhood. Whatever comes into her mind is likely to come right out her mouth without traveling by way of her brain, and Zellweger comic sense makes the most of the opportunities. She has a real sense of visual comedy, mugging without quite seeming to and performing pratfalls that seem almost unstudied. Though a Houston native, she also manages a respectable Brit accent. Hugh Grant plays a somewhat slimy "Hugh Grant" character with his usual disreputable charm, and Colin Firth plays a stiff, haughty barrister who is drawn to Bridget against his better judgment. Gemma Jones, of whom I have long been a fan, is terrific as Bridget's dissatisfied Mum who leaves her husband for the Shopping Channel. The whole film is a hoot and a half.