Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)

Director: Sharon Maguire

Starring: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant

Bridget Jones is determined to improve herself while she looks for love in a year in which she keeps a personal diary.

Romantic comedy is not my genre of choice and I don’t really enjoy them – with the exception of the Hallmark movies and a few others scattered here and there. What made me decide to watch this then? Who knows, but I guess I should have known better.

Every year, Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) goes to her parents for New Year’s. Every year her mother tries to fix her up with someone – because at 32, Bridget is still single. This year her mother introduces her to Mark (Colin Firth), but when Bridget overhears him insulting her, she decides to drastically change her life – and to keep a diary documenting everything.

Bridget works for a publishing house, and her boss is Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), whom she starts seeing. With Bridget having her fling with Daniel and constantly bumping into Mark – allowing for awkward moments – I became bored. One thing I can say about ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ is that it isn’t as predictable as most romantic comedies. Usually it’s clear who you want the girl to be with, but here it wasn’t. And I didn’t care.

Daniel was only out to satisfy his lust, while Mark was far too cold a character to be romantic. In fact, at one point I actually believed Mark was gay, and jealous of Bridget for spending time with Daniel. I was so wrong, but a part of me likes to think the movie would have worked better that way. There was no chemistry whatsoever between Bridget and Daniel or Bridget and Mark. It just wasn’t romantic. I also didn’t find the movie funny. Annoying, yes.

‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ is definitely more for women, who might have a different opinion. Women will understand Bridget’s situation better and root for her. As for me, this is not my cup of tea and despite being one of the most successful romantic comedies ever made, I didn’t enjoy it.

‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ earned $282 million on a budget of $25 million and was followed by three sequels (which I won’t be watching). It received 40 award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

Would I watch it again? No.