Rakesh's movie talk
Bridget Jones : Edge of Reason (2004)













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Directed by Beeban Kidron
Written by Andrew Davies, Helen Fielding, Richard Curtis and Adam Brooks (based on novel by Helen Fielding).
















By Shalini Nayar

bridget2.jpg

I truly believe this movie was made primarily of two reasons: 1) Helen Fielding already had the book sequel out when the first movie came out and 2) It was in all the actors' contracts to oblige to a sequel, overlooking the fact that the first movie would either bomb or hail at the box-office. Well, the first installment had the fortune of reaping in lots of dough and awards because it was a no-nonsense, fresh, honest look at a young, working (and overweight) singleton woman in London, desperately looking for love.

 

But I wish it had ended there.

 

The second installment narrates the ongoing relationship between Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) and Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Bridget goes through her usual quirks and mis-quirks at her job in the television studio, chats and sips with her obnoxious friends, encounters the green-eyed monster and makes a fool of herself at important functions (sometimes it makes me wonder if it's all deliberate in the name of desperately seeking attention). After breaking up with Darcy, Bridget goes to Thailand with her friend for a relaxing holiday only to be rudely interrupted by Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). Coupled with a run-in with the police and spending some time behind bars, Darcy comes halfway around the world to rescue Bridget but he tells her he was “merely following orders”. Even more broken-hearted, Bridget returns to London to discover Darcy did it all on his own will and confirms the fact that he is still in love with her. The ending is unabashedly sugar-coated and predictable, as the newly engaged couple both walk away with extra huge smiles in the snow-laden grounds of England.

 

The fight scene between Daniel and Darcy in the first film was fun to watch, hilariously executed. This time around, it feels forced and unfun, one might think the fight scene choreographer was on leave that day.

 

Zellweger is flawless as Bridget, as with the other two main characters, as well as all the reprising characters. What went wrong in the movie was that its predictability, and its trying-too-hard slapstick gags that don't offer as much laughter as the first one did. A mediocre effort from director Beeban Kidron.