In 2001, Bridget Jones made her big screen debut in ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’, based on the 1996 novel of the same name by award-winning author, Helen Fielding. Renée Zellweger has portrayed Bridget Jones since the original film, making the character one of her most iconic roles. The film series is best known for Bridget trying to keep up appearances and her many awkward and embarrassing moments, all while overthinking everything. The fourth film in the series, ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy ‘also based on the 2013 novel of the same name, is now showing in cinemas worldwide, with Renée Zellweger returning once again in the titular role.

After the untimely death of her husband and father of her children, Mark Darcy, Bridget Jones has been trying to live life as a widow and a single mother. She has the help of her family, friends and even her former lover, Daniel. Even though Mark is long gone, she still feels his presence everywhere she goes and misses him dearly. With the advice of her doctor, she goes back to her old job to keep her busy and help her get through the day. She feels she’ll be contemptuous living single for the rest of her life, but her friends encourage her to get back on the dating scene. She reluctantly does after a friend set up a Tinder profile against her will, but she quickly becomes fascinated with the idea of entering the dating pool again. She soon meets a handsome man, roughly 30 years younger who also helps her and the kids get down from a tree, but she also feels some attraction to her son’s science teacher. Bridget Jones finds herself on a new journey of self-discovery.

Renée Zellweger reprises her most iconic role as the titular character. She is just as quirky and awkward as ever, still trying to keep up appearances and of course, still ends up in embarrassing situations in true Bridget Jones fashion, or lack thereof in some cases. Despite being American in real life, she absolutely nails the posh English accent, giving that authenticity to the Bridget Jones character and classic British humour. Even with mostly the same personality since the original film from 21 years ago, she has shown a lot of character development, especially now that she’s a widow and living life as a single mother raising two children.

Colin Firth reprises his role as Mark Darcy in certain scenes, even though he’s not actually there. Bridget still feels her late husband’s presence and these scenes show how much she misses him. Whether she’s walking down a street or tucking the kids into bed, she still sees him and has a big smile on her face while still showing the pain she’s experiencing at the same time. His death occurred between this film and the previous film, 2016’s ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ which upset a lot of fans, but the latest film still makes him an important part of the story and his few scenes are impactful.

They had two children together, their daughter Mabel played by Mila Jankovic and their son Bill played by Casper Knopf, who was also the baby in the previous film and Bridget didn’t know who the father was at the time. Bill is the older of the two, around 8 years old and has more memories and attachment to his father, which makes him unenthusiastic about his mother dating again. He is smart and gets good grades in school, but he is also reserved and would rather play on his Nintendo Switch than socialise. Mabel on the other hand is loud and has too much energy for Bridget to keep up with, causing her a lot of stress, but thankfully she has some friends willing to help her.

Bill is also sometimes at odds with his science teacher, Mr. Wallaker played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. Because of Bill losing his father, he believes he’s in heaven and mentions it in one of his assignments which Mr. Wallaker disagrees with and gives him a lower grade than normal. Mr. Wallaker is a strong believer in reality over anything spiritual and this of course annoys Bridget and her son trying to cope with his father not being around anymore. Even though they come into conflict with each other, she also feels some attraction to him at the same time and as usual, somehow always gets caught in awkward situations and just happens to be there.

She does end up with a handsome young man named Roxster who is portrayed by Leo Woodall. Their ages are never mentioned in the movie but Renée Zellweger is currently 55 and Leo Woodall is currently 28, so they have a 27-year age gap between them. He is portrayed as a heartthrob that

even other women can’t keep their eyes off him, making them envious of Bridget. There is more to him than just his good looks, as the film shows he has other good qualities and even entertains her kids, well at least Mabel. Even while Bridget is enjoying her time with Roxster, the film also makes sure to keep Mr. Wallaker relevant in her mind, whether it’s good or bad.

The latest film brings back various other stars from the past three films including Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver who is just as flirty and dirty talking as ever, Emma Thompson as Dr Rawlings, Sarah Solemani as Miranda and Gemma Jones and Jim Broadbent as Pamela and Colin Jones respectively, Bridget’s mother and father. They all have smaller but still important roles, some of which greatly impact Bridget’s life. Other new stars also appear including Isla Fisher as Rebecca, Bridget’s new neighbour and Nico Parker as Chloe, Bridget’s children’s babysitter just to name a few.

The film features many throwbacks to past films such as Bridget’s red pyjamas and another specific article of clothing from one of the most memorable moments in the original film. It also shows how much the dating scene has changed since the first film going from having to go out and meet people to having it all in the palm of your hand. It’s also nice to see the suburbs just outside of London, with the houses, streets, stores, and what an English school looks like compared to other countries.

The latest Bridget Jones film is more emotional than the previous three entries. It does a fantastic job of showing what life is like having to live without your significant other and parent to your children. Renée Zellweger’s performance shows the pain she still carries from her loss and the challenges of being a single mother, but also how she tries to convince herself she’s contemptuous being single and trying to live her life to the fullest despite her age. She has to juggle dating life while also raising her kids and paying attention to their needs. Even with her hardships, the film never forgets it’s a comedy and there is plenty of it here in the familiar Bridget Jones that fans have come to know and love.

In the film franchise’s 21-year history, Bridget Jones has shown so much character development which is why it is Renée Zellweger’s most iconic role. She is adorable to watch on screen and is as funny and as loveable as ever, even in her most embarrassing and vulnerable moments. There’s no word on if Helen Fielding will be writing a Bridget Jones fifth book but if this were to be the final film, then Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is a solid entry and a great way to end the story of Bridget Jones.

Written by: Sammy Hanson