FILM REVIEW by Lali Zumaquero
I am going to tell you about one of the best British comedy I have seen lately and one of the more highly promoted films of 2001. The film itself is a great movie because it will make people happy. Cut from the same cloth as “Notting Hill” and “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, Bridget Jone’s Diary is based on the succesful novel by Helen Fielding, which itself was based on her popular newspaper column of the same name from the 1990s.
Film Tittle: BRIDGET JONE’S DIARY
Country: UNITED KINGDOM
Language: BRITISH ENGLISH
Year: 2001
Genre: Comedy
Director: SHARON MAGUIRE
Main Cast: Renée Zellweger (as Bridget Jones), Hugh Grant (as Daniel Cleaver) and Colin Firth (as Mark Darcy)
PLOT SUMMARY
Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her many imperfections. As a New Year's Resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. But, can a single woman over 30, who smokes too much, drinks too much, and has a tendency to say whatever comes into her mind, find a place in the world? She’s desperate to find a man who will be truly committed to her and she worries about dying alone. She is convinced that if only she could lose weight and stop smoking then all would be fine.
The story starts when Bridget goes home for the Christmas holidays and her mother tries yet again to fix her up with a man. This time it’s a lawyer, Mr. Darcy. After a disastrous first meeting with Mr. Darcy, Bridget returns to London with a list of new year resolutions. She starts a diary and starts to record all the disappointments in her life. Back in the publishing office where she works she starts flirting with her boss Daniel Cleaver. She then meets Mark Darcy again and discovers that he was once a good friend of Daniel’s and that they now hate each other…
ANALYSIS
The film is sold as a comedy and contains some great chemistry between all three main characters. Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and Renée Zellweger. Director Sharon Maguire does not break any new ground in this film. She captures the many comedic scenes in a delightful and touching way and makes the audience experience some great laughs. The movie has the same flair as did 'Notting Hill', of course that can be because it is from the same producers but I don’t mind because I always liked British comedies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral or Notting Hill .
There is a great soundtrack with this movie which helps to keep the whole thing moving along. Some examples are “It’s raining men” by Geri Halliwell or contributions of Robbie Williams and Sheryl Crow.
On my mind, Renee Zellweger plays the titular character in a quite surprising way. You forget she is an American after about 30 seconds and she is entirely believable in the role. Even her accent is pretty good. During the film, you feel sorry for her, and you laugh at her and with her.
The reason I enjoyed this movie is Bridget Jones's Diary has good enough jokes to make you laugh, but not too much to make you just plain annoyed that the storyline is not moving forward in good time.
This is a very enjoyable and funny movie and I absolutely loved it, so I recommend this film to everyone who likes romantic comedies. But you need to know before yo see it that I would not recommend it for anyone under 15. Sometimes the language can be offensive because of the strong language and sexual content.
