Rating: 
Summary: Charming and full of excellent humor and wit!
Review: From the very beginning, when single thirty-something Bridget Jones begins recounting her experience at her mother's New Year's Day party, I knew I was going to like her. In fact, I completely fell in love with "Bridget Jones's Diary," a film that not only takes an upbeat approach to being single (what romantic comedy doesn't at some point?), but also employs some of the most witty, sarcastic, and quite refreshing humor I've heard in a movie this year. Renee Zellweger plays Bridget, who works at a publishing firm in London by day, and sits on her couch eating ice cream and drinking wine by night. She dreads her mother's parties as her mother always plays matchmaker, so when she introduces Bridget to Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth, she feigns interest, and is insulted when Mark makes demeaning comments about her. Setting out to find the right man, she begins a diary, beginning with her New Year's resolution of finding the perfect mate, who, for the time being happens to be her boss, Daniel Cleaver, played by Hugh Grant. For one glorious week, they shag, they laugh, they have dinner, and for a small time, Bridget seems happy. But once she mentions love, it's bye, bye, love, and she's single again, and soon finds herself drawn to Mark, who has a past score to settle with Daniel. The key to making this comedy work is the casting, which is phenomenally bright. Zellweger is the perfect compliment to the portrayal of Bridget's many awkward moments, and she handles the material with such confidence and humor that her character becomes an instant smash. She plays Bridget not as a whiny, waifish martyr whose emotions are on constant overload, but as a full-figured, witty and refreshingly different single girl who looks at being single the way many of us would like to. Hugh Grant proves that he is much better when he's playing the twit, and as Daniel, he's given the perfect chance to act as such. Colin Firth is surprisingly effective as Mark Darcy, employing a subtle wit and charm into his character that becomes engaging and, at times, humorous. Each of these actors share a warm chemistry and delightful exchanges of dialogue with Zellweger, selling us on their romances together while keeping the sap to a minimum. What makes the movie shine is the fact that it strays from the garden variety chick flick agendas and comes out with some very original material. There are inklings of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" throughout the movie, though most of the material is given a new feel. And instead of being a boring, melodramatic yarn about yuppies in love, it becomes a bright, upbeat comedy about the single life and how one very awkward woman handles hers. The comedy that emanates from the movie is undeniably hilarious, one of the better comedies of this year. Bridget's situations are funny because she handles them with a serious demeanor. The scene involving her trek down the fire poll is a comedic gem ("Excellent. Am national laughingstock. Have bottom the size of Brazil."), as is Bridget showing up at an outdoor party in a skimpy bunny suit after the plans were changed to formal wear. In the end, though, what really makes this movie shine is its lead actress. Renee Zellweger is a wonderful actress, one that brings a new face and a new meaning to comedy. In "Bridget Jones's Diary," she takes Bridget's single life and turns it into some of the most funny, highly humorous moments in recent memory. The material is original and refreshing, and makes this romantic comedy a cut above the rest.
Rating: 
Summary: Colin Firth Rocks!!!
Review: I saw this movie at the theater and loved it. I couldn't wait to own it. I watched it three times with different friends and each time I was laughing, I don't seem to get tired of it. Colin Firth does a wonderful job, by the third time you notice the small little smiles he has when he's watching Bridget. Great acting
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!
Review: As a young single woman I am madly in love with this movie! Renée Zellweger does a fantastic job portraying the life of a hopeless single woman looking for love. Hugh Grant plays the sexy bad boy so well, the incident in Hollywood back in the 90's doesn't seem so far fetched anymore. Colin Firth is a darling! You hate him at first and think he is such a snob and by the end you want to run to your t.v. and kiss him! The movie addresses everything that plagues the modern bachelorette- sex, alcohol, men, weight, dealing with married people, parental troubles...it covers everything! I thought I was watching a movie about myself! The humor is well done, and Renée maintains a very believable British accent. If you like the movie "Sliding Doors" you'll like Bridget Jones's Diary. This movie was made for the single women of the world, and it's only going to be us that best understand what it all means.
Rating:
Summary: Love it! Love it! Love it!
Review: Perfectly cast, Bridget Jones's Diary is a laugh riot. Renee did a fab job. Bravo! Colin was wonderful and Hugh was the perfect cad. The casting of Gemma Jones and Jim Broadbent as Bridget's parents was excellent. The more I see this movie the more I like it. I highly recommend reading the books, too. Can't wait for part 2.
Rating:
Summary: a good girl movie
Review: It's not to say that men can't enjoy this movie (though my father certainly didn't), but I saw it with all women and it was so full of familiar moments that we were all just cringing and squealing in horrified recognition at the things that happen to Bridget. All the moments you turn into a blithering idiot and the more you try to extricate yourself, the worse it gets. And while in some ways you feel guilty that you're like this, you really do spend that much time trying on different outfits and worrying about each little item of clothing, each body part. It's nice to see that in a movie character, because it gives you so much more to identify with than the visions of perfection we so often see. Sad that we have to hear about how hard Renee Zellweger had to work to get up to a weight most of us have gotten up to effortlessly -- she was great at the part, actually, but why can't we for a change see someone who didn't have to work hard to look like most of us? That's not a problem with the movie itself, though. Like I say, Renee Zellweger gives an excellent performance, as does Hugh Grant. I still don't see the Colin Firth thing myself, but he was good in this. Mostly what's great is just how human Bridget is, and how much fun she salvages out of that humanity.
Rating: 
Summary: Am I missing something?
Review: Oh boy, talk about being fooled by reviews and this will be my top pick. I remember all the hype it got when it released... I prefer a [different] CD over this one in my DVD collection.
Rating: 
Summary: Clearly a Renter
Review: I was so excited for this movie to come out on DVD. I rushed to my local video store, and forced my husband to watch it with me that night. What a disappointment! I am a huge Renee Z. and Colin Firth fan, but was sorely let down by this movie. Bonus material was cute, but I will not be adding this DVD to my collection.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining movie version of the book
Review: I don't know whether I can say I enjoyed the movie, since I spent much of the time writhing in embarrassment for the character Bridget. Although obivously a bit too ditsy for words, who among us can fail to identify with her? Still, I thought the acting first rate and I certainly laughed a lot (when not cringing, or maybe WHEN cringing). My only complaint with the movie is they made the title character a bit too much of a half-wit for me. After seeing it, I skimmed the book again to be sure, and I am quite confident that the Bridget in the book was far more clever than the Bridget on screen. I missed the dry humor, the biting observations contained in her diary. The on screen gal was just a little too pathetic for my taste (and my comfort level).
Rating:
Summary: Happily took my wife to this movie...TWICE!
Review: In the first ten minutes of the film we see Bridget alone in her apartment, drinking too much red wine and singing her heart out to Celine Dion's version of "All by myself".
The scene is handled with a perfect balance of humor and melancholy.
Toward the end of the film there is a street brawl while "It's raining men" plays in the background. Women in the audience were actually bouncing up and down in their seats and clapping their hands.
Every scene in BJD is handled beautifully and a very good story is told through a very funny movie.
Plus it's fun to see Hugh Grant being a "naughty man".
Guys,if you get brownie points for taking your wife/girlfriend to girlie movies... see it, buy it, rent it, whatever.
It's the most (only) palatable chick flick since Notting Hill.
Rating:
Summary: Unexpectedly entertaining, great fun, will cheer you up
Review: I avoided this film in the movies, mainly because after reading Fielding's sequel to the original book, the Diary, I was just disgusted with the childishness of the characters (admit though that the first book was very entertaining). Last night I was in need of diversion, so I picked this up, expecting far less than I received. It was a lot of fun. The quirks of the characters are not played down -- rather played up in some very funny spots that highlight Zellweger's ability as a comedic actress. I was quite surprised by the high quality of this picture, and by the excellent script with some very funny lines, delivered by either the awkward misfit heroine, or Grant in a perfect role as the slimey lover, and then Firth as the snapping, fussy, but henpecked (by his controlling girlfriend) future great love of Bridget's life. There are some plot twists not in the book, and naturally some portions of the book are missing. Too, on the DVD you get to see a series of deleted scenes, all of which would have been excellent if they were included in the movie -- too bad they were deleted! I liked best Grant's farewell to Bridget, not to be missed. An absolutely delightful film, great entertainment at a time when we've all had far too much of Hollywood's violence, horror, and sicko sex. This is a healthy, fun-loving drama/comedy that you will surprisingly find memorable. A great film when you're spirits are down -- the absurd funniness and superb acting, the situations every gets into, the dilemmas that plague them, and a heroine who in the end puts her life together and rises above all the nonsense to find true(?) love will cheer you for days.
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