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Bridget Jones's Diary

Bridget Jones's Diary

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!
Review: I saw this movie, kicking and screaming, when it was foisted upon me by my younger sister. Thinking that it was going to be another Gen X piece of claptrap, I gritted my teeth and prepared myself for what I erroneously presumed would be a waste of time. Was I ever wrong! It turned out to be a sublime cinematic experience. Bravo!

Renee Zellweger is definitely the star of this film. She positively twinkles! She is absolutely marvelous in the role of Bridget Jones, our single, thirty something, English Holly Golightly. Employed as a somewhat graceless publicist, the plump and perky Bridget enters into an affair with her caddish, handsome, sexy boss, winningly played by the ever charming and debonair Hugh Grant.

Meanwhile, her mother has introduced her to an attorney, the stiff necked Mr. Darcy, played to taciturn perfection by Colin Firth. Even though they were once childhood playmates, he and Bridget do not initially click, and it is not love at first sight, as Bridget's mother had so hoped. Bridget goes on her merry way with her boss, unaware that he is two timing her. When she discovers his perfidy, it is too late, as she already fancies herself in love with him.

Mr. Darcy, however, reenters the picture, and what happens is a thing of wonder to watch. The film is very funny. Rene Zellweger as a Brit is believable. She is so good that she would even fool the Queen into believing her to be one of the Queen's own subjects. Without a doubt, this is Ms. Zellweger's best role to date, and she is positively delightful. Moreover, Sharon Maguires directorial debut is certainly noteworthy as she shows signs of a deft comedic touch in her direction.

I am now going to read the book to see if it lives up to the film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: About 0.73 v.good!
Review: Charming, witty, cute...being a fan of 1) British comedy and 2) COLIN FIRTH, baby, how could this go wrong? Well, it didn't completely... First two thirds of the movie just great. Last third--what?? Did they READ the book? I sympathize with the other customer reviewer who noted the lack of serious out-loud snorting guffaws one experienced when reading the book. Mark's character was left sadly shallow, whereas in the book he is allowed all kinds of depth and heroics. But maybe I'm biased, as I wanted to see as much of Colin Firth as possible. Anyway. Still entertaining. Hugh Grant perfect Daniel. Renee alright--score one for the American chick no one thought could do it--but I wonder why, in the land of the Bard and theatrical traditions, they had to cross the pond for Bridget? Ah, well, marketability.
So, if there was a 3.5 star rating, I would probably give that, but I'll round up for necessity's sake.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: V. V. Good!
Review: I'd fallen completely in love with Helen Fielding's book and was dying to see the ultimate outcome, this movie. It didn't let me down. Renée Zellweger is at the top of her game pplaying the pudgy Bridget and all the rest of the cast turns out to be nothing short of brilliant. I must confess I'm not an easy girl to impress as far as romantic comedies go, it seems as if one's seen them all already, however, Bridget is a big, BIG occasional pleasure for me. DVD just seemed like the natural option for to go to. I really recommend it, the format is good and clean, the extras are really good and you'll enjoy them. As for the movie itself, I guarantee you'll enjoy it even if others of this genre have let you down before. It's smart and witty and done with brains, hard to believe from a first-time director and a thin American playing a pudgy Brit-chick with an attitude.
To be thoroughly enjoyed by Singletons, smug marrieds and everyone in between...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Girl Flick!
Review: I love this movie! I loved reading the book. Bridget is a single and in her thirties. At a Christmas dinner, she is set up by her mother with a childhood neighbor Mark Darcy, who is bitter after his divorce. He doesn't do much to make Bridget to feel welcome. She thinks that he is too uptight for her so she persues Daniel. Daniel, who has an appetite for women, is impressed with Bridget. They go out until she finds out that he is engaged to be married. What a terrible surprise! That is the turning point for Bridget to get herself together. And she does. She gets to know more about Mark and does like him.

Mark put a shield around himself because of what happened to him. He used his job to avoid having fun in his life. Colin Firth did a good job portraying his character as he did in "Pride and Prejudice". Hugh Grant was sexy in his role as Daniel. And the other characters were just as good portraying Bridget's family and friends.

This is a good movie for any single woman. As single women, there is a great deal of pressure from the marrieds as to why we aren't in a relationship or even married. Some of us are trying to get a life of our own before even giving up a life that we have yet to explore. I am still single and have no qualms about it. The people on the outside may have a problem with it. But so what, that's their problem! And Bridget Jones's Diary sets the record straight.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Loved This Movie But Now Have Insane Crush on Colin Firth!
Review: I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually like the movie better than the book. My only disappointments were that the movie is way too short and that Colin Firth is not on-screen nearly enough.

The entire cast does a fantastic job of bringing Bridget Jones's quirky world to life. Renee Zellweger effectively portrays Bridget Jones as slightly ridiculous but lovable, and Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are perfect in their respective roles. It's certainly nice to see Hugh Grant finally take a break from the foppish, stuttering, self-deprecating persona he's been cultivating ever since Four Weddings & a Funeral---and his new buff look (as made evident in the lake/wet shirt scene) isn't bad either! I only wish the writers had come up with a reason to have Colin shirtless (or at least wet!)

As much as I enjoyed the movie, the reason I and my friends have already seen it several times and will buy the DVD the day it comes out is Colin Firth and his quietly (but devastatingly) mesmerizing performance. Several critics have commented that Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth have no chemistry, but I beg to differ. That very palpable chemistry (The way he looks at her when she's interviewing him? The incredibly charming cooking scene? The scene near the end where he leans down to kiss her on the cheek before she runs off to change into "genuinely tiny knickers"?) is what makes the ultimate resolution of the movie so satisfying.

Having long been a fan of British films, I've always been aware of Colin Firth as an accomplished actor (e.g., Another Country, A Month in the Country, Valmont), but it wasn't until Pride & Prejudice that it dawned on me that he was also incredibly attractive. He then went on to play rather unappealing characters in such films as Circle of Friends, The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love, and, me being the fickle fan that I am, forgot about my crush on him . . . until now. As a "serious actor," he seems to choose roles that will "challenge" him, and unfortunately for us besotted fans, they are often unattractive villains and cuckolds. But I've come to realize that the fact that he is so successful at masking his undeniable attractiveness is a testament to his extraordinary acting ability.

It was clear from Disney's marketing and PR campaign that they felt Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant would be the only draws here in the U.S., but I know a lot of people who went to see the movie because of Colin Firth. I can only hope this film will earn him the recognition of audiences (and studios) beyond the legions of women who fell in love with him in P&P. It'd certainly be wonderful to see him fulfill his promise as a leading man (a la Ralph Fiennes and Russell Crowe) and leave all those "character actor" roles behind him.

It looks like Working Title Films is already talking with Renee Zellweger about making the film version of "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason." Apparently, she's only interested if she doesn't have to gain weight again. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Colin Firth's desire to pursue more challenging roles doesn't keep him from signing on for the sequel. I can't imagine anyone else playing the role of Mark Darcy.

Finally, I'd just like to say that I wholeheartedly agree with other IMDB/Amazon users who've described Colin Firth as "sex on a stick," "dreamy," "swoonsome," "a revelation," "beautiful," "delicious," "riveting" and weak-knee inducing. I wonder how many of us will be trekking to London next year to see him on-stage in Hamlet? SIGH . . .

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Bloody Fabulous!
Review: Every single woman should see this movie! It is such an accurate depiction of single life that you will find yourself saying "Oh my God! That happened to me!" The entire cast is delightful! Hugh Grant plays a wonderful jerk, Renee is charming, and Colin Firth is absolutely brilliant as the reserved Mark Darcy. You will laugh out loud many times throughout this film. The fight scene between the two guys is absolutely hilarious, and Firth in his "reigndeer jumper" is enough to make you fall out of your chair. Bridget is a character who is easy to love. You feel sorry for her, embarrassed for her, and happy for her when she finally figures out who Mr. Right is. Her parents and friends are a madcap passle of eccentrics who are so entertaining in their supporting roles, you wish you got to see more of them. Be sure to catch the books too! They are just as wonderful!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hilarious All-Around Comedy!
Review: Unfairly or not, "Bridget Jones' Diary" received a lot of attention because Renee Zellweger (title character) announced that she would gain (gasp!) twenty to thirty pounds to portray England's most beloved weight-challenged singleton. (It's hard to say it's unfair when the movie's producers kept hyping this part of the movie.)

"BJD" actually deserves plenty of praise on its basic merits -- excellent acting, witty screenplay, and great camerawork. For those who doubt how important camerawork can be to the making of a great comedy, watch how many of the laughs in this film come from the reaction shots rather than the jokes themselves. "BJD" has great writing, but there is some visual artistry in this movie that elevates it to more than a collection of funny jokes.

For example, in an early scene, Bridget confronts Mark Darcy, a seemingly grim, definitely handsome attorney Bridget's mom hamfistedly tries to set up with Bridget. While Bridget hammers on about abandoning drinking and smoking for New Year's (while clutching a cocktail and cigarette like they are life preservers), Darcy's stoic-yet-fuming reactions are priceless.

The plot is pure chick-flick. Bridget is a thirty-something singleton looking for love in the big city. Infected with bad taste in men, she pursues her boss (and office cad), played with gleeful self awareness by Hugh Grant -- check out the glint in his eyes when we first see him, a close-up with Aretha Franklin blaring on the soundtrack. Soon in an ill-advised romance with her boss, Bridget too late recognizes the signs that her boss is not a nice guy.

While enduring the excruciatingly funny torture of her mom's affair with a walking white elephant of a man (the host of the shopping network), Bridget decides to be her own woman. Breaking out on her own, despite some unfortunate slips of the tongue during job interviews, she finds herself marching to her own tune and eventually occupying a dream space -- with Colin Firth and Hugh Grant fighting over her (rather wimpishly, I might add) outside and through a crowded restaurant.

More than a touching romance, more than a journey of personal discovery, and yet so very small and perfect, "BJD" is one of those great feel-good flicks that should be a chick flick, and yet is very much more.

The DVD's extras are also wonderful, including a delightful set of "interviews" with Bridget's former boss in a bar with his succession of inadequate girlfriends. A good DVD for a great film!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I liked it despite my prejudices
Review: I hate chick flicks. I hate sappy romances, and petty relationship movies. I was therefore quite dubious about Bridget Jones's Diary. "This'll just be another movie about a shallow twit finding true love," I figured, and although I was bang-on about the plotline, I was wrong about this being same-old, same-old.

Renee Zellweger does a fantastic job as a size 12 British spinster, Hugh Grant does a bang-up job as a no-good player, and Colin Firth is likewise excellent as the pretentious barrister.

The film made me laugh out loud many times. In fact, it made me snort like a goosed hog! Bridget, despite being a rather fluffy-headed sort, reminds me so much of certain friends of mine that the movie became very personal. The character of Bridget is very much a real person, and the crazy situations she gets herself into are both believable and hilarious. Even if there are a couple of mushy bits, they don't last overly long, and Bridget Jones's Diary is well-worth the watching.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: V. V. Good!
Review: This is a story about a thirtysomething woman in merry old England struggling to make it on her own in her career, society and romance. Based on the popular novel of the same name, the film relates the events that happen around her in the course of one year, one very eventful year.

Firstly, she gets to shag her boss and then gets dumped by him for an 'American stick-insect'. Then she appears on national television (or rather her derriere the size of Texas does) sliding down a firemen's pole. Meanwhile she meets and falls in love with a man who is so absolutely wrong for her, he just might be Mr. Right.

Renee Zelwegger acquits herself most admirably as the overweight but brimming with charm Bridget Jones with her believable but a tad too 'posh' english accent. However it is the supporting cast that almost steals the film. Colin Firth practically reprises his role of Mr. Darcy in the 1996 BBC production of 'Pride And Prejudice'. Indeed, even his character in this film is also a Mr. Darcy, Mark Darcy to be exact. And it was also quite a pleasant surprise to see Hugh Grant in the villain's shoes this time around. I must say that he does it quite convincingly and thus, my opinion about his acting abilities has changed for the better.

As for the extras in this DVD, the main highlight would have to be the documentary which contain interviews with the cast and crew of the film. Also, look out for two music videos of songs from the soundtrack, namely Gabrielle's 'Out Of Reach' and Shelby Lynne's 'Killin' Kind'. Really brilliant songs.

All in all, this is a very funny and well-paced film with good acting all round. If there is anything to complain about this movie, it would have to be that there is quite a bit of profanity which does distract the otherwise intact integrity of the film.

Enjoy!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great romantic comedy
Review: This is a totally winning romantic comedy!
Sure, it's not much different from all the other
stuff out there, but its so charming and well
made, that you'd be mad to care!Renee Zellweger
is an absolute marvel- a completely winning heroine
with wit and spunk and humanity that you cannot help
but love and laught with.Colin Firth and Hugh Grant
also work well as the two men our protagonist must
choose from. But this is all Zellweger's show-and
you'd be crazy not to love her in this witty and loveable, fluffy romantic comedy.


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