‘Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy’ Review – The Heartfelt And Grounded Sequel We Needed Without Realizing It

Oh, Bridget Jones. Ever since you first appeared in Helen Fielding’s Independent newspaper column in 1995 and on the big screen six years later, you became a British icon with the same status as Paddington Bear, tea and the late Queen. Three movies in, we’re now going with you on a heartfelt, surprisingly grown-up and tear-inducing final journey. It may be a farewell (or not; with film franchises, you’re never 100% certain), but one your fans will adore.

To those loyal and passionate fans, just like Bridget Jones’ Diary, Michael Morris’s (To Leslie, Kingdom) latest feature offers you a unique and authentic inside into the female perspective on finding love and the highs and lows that come with it. But a lot has changed since that oh-so-loved first movie. Bridget (Renée Zellweger) fell in love with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), and they started a family, but when her fairytale finally came true, her beloved Mark was killed in Sudan.

It’s four years after his death that Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy takes place. Bridget, now widowed and single, is living in Hampstead Heath in North London with her two preteens – Billy (Casper Knopf) and Mabel (Mila Jankovic). The family is still trying to come to terms with their loss, which is easier said than done. Not only because the fourth anniversary of Mark’s death is approaching fast, but also because Billy is a mini version of his dad, constantly reminding Bridget of her husband.

There’s absolutely no denying that this installment is the most emotionally mature movie of the franchise, as, for a large part, it’s about grief and loss. Because of that shift in focus, the script by Dan Mazer (Office Christmas Party, I Give It a Year), Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady, Sham), and Fielding herself misses some of the silliness and slapstick humor we expect from a Bridget Jones film. Less over-the-top moments and more sincerity are certainly some of the main differences between Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy and Bridget’s previous adventures.

However, that being said, once Bridget’s nosy and advice-giving friends Shazzer (Sally Phillips), Jude (Shirley Henderson), and Tom (James Callis) re-appear on the screen, that’s when we see the Bridget we all love just because of who she is. The funny, caring and a bit clumsy woman looking for love again. The dating game has changed immensely since Bridget was single, but she’s now on Tinder with her friends’ (unasked-for) help.

While she’s navigating and later embracing the online dating world, she’s also juggling childcare and work as she’s going back to work. After taking on a nanny and becoming a successful television producer again, it seems that Bridget’s life is back on track. That is until she finds herself in an unexpected but delicious love triangle. On one side, there’s Tinder toyboy Roxster (Leo Woodall), and on the other is her children’s stern science teacher, Mr. Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor). However, Bridget has been resolutely single ever since the death of Mark, and her family situation has changed since she last hit the dating scene. Is she now finally ready to embrace love and sex again, or has the singleton had enough of the complications of love?

Like many life questions, this one isn’t easy and straightforward to answer. While Bridget is still dealing with immense grief, her fire is ignited again by the two potential matches who adore her. It’s incredibly refreshing to see that an ‘older’ woman – our lead female is now in her 50s – and widow can still be adored. What’s even more inspiring is that there’s no judgment regarding Bridget’s sizzling fling with a man who can easily be old enough to be her son. Because of this non-judgmental approach, the film would have easily benefited from further and deeper exploration of Bridget and Roxter their relationship and Roxter’s background.

Even more so because of the tremendous work of both Zellweger and Woodall. Zellweger (Chicago, Jerry Maguire) again makes it clear that she just IS Bridget by giving a delightful, excellent and genuinely believable performance. Woodall (One Day, The White Lotus) also delivers strong acting as the charming, hunky and slightly immature toyboy. Roxster’s introduction scene to Bridget’s friends will certainly remind you of the fountain fight between Mark and Daniel Clever in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

Speaking of Daniel. It’s not only two new men who come into Bridget’s life, as an old male friend also re-appears again. Those who haven’t seen Bridget Jones’ Baby might want to look away now. At the end of that feature, it was revealed that Daniel had been found alive and what an immense blessing this was. Not only for Bridget herself but also for the franchise.

While Daniel is now an uncle and older (nothing wrong with aging at all), he’s still the playboy and womanizer he has always been. Grant (Heretic, The Undoing) takes on the role again with a lot of wit, charisma and cheekiness. There will always be some flirting between the former lovers with the necessary winking and touching. However, because they both have ridden life’s rollercoaster, their relationship is more sincere and grown-up. This results in the most touching and heartwarming scenes of the feature.  

While the Bridget Jones franchise could have easily ended after three films, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is precisely the sequel we needed without realizing it. There are plenty of notches to the original work, laughter, and cameos, but more importantly, it’s a heartfelt, sweet, and grounded story about an imperfect woman embracing the possibility of love once more.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is out on Peacock on the 13th of February in the United States and hits cinemas on the 14th of February outside the United States courtesy of Universal.