- Date of Release: 14 February 2025
- Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Language: English
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Introduction
Life is like a video game whose difficulty levels keeps changing after every few years. Keeping that in mind, there is something about growing old that changes your perception towards life. Unlike the 20s and 30s when life is relatively free, you are often bound by duty with respect to children or relationships that tend to bind you towards a sense of maturity. This may also extend to the interference of your me time that was once a luxury, or also being in search of a partner who truly understands you without any terms and conditions (if you still are single or widowed). It is a complicated transition of the human race from adulthood to old age that surprisingly accounts for a handful of years while often blurring the relationships that truly matter at the end of the day. I must admit that while venturing into the latest chronicles of Bridget Jones titled ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy’ (aka Bridget Jones 4), the last thing that I had expected was any sort of emotional depth. We have all been witness to the natural progression of Bridget Jones over the years (and over 3 previous outings) from being a goofy little mess in her 30s to indulging in casual flings to finally finding love until that the ties were broken by unforeseen events. In the purest sense, the timelines of this film directly coincide with the years that have passed in reality where our dear Bridget Jones, now in her 50s is a single parent to two kids while having no ‘me-time’ for herself. But just like the age demographic of the protagonist demands the kind of maturity while keeping the inherent goofiness intact, the drama here offers a searing sense of sensitivity while navigating through the situations accounting for laughs, tears and joy with a strong emotional quotient that I just did not expect!
Story & Screenplay
One of the early scenes in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy’ involves the introduction of Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) running helter-skelter in her house while trying to zip her dress from the backside while preparing food for her three children. She is now in her 50s and a single parent to Billy and Mable while her husband Mark is no more. Hence even amongst the chaos, there is an underlying void accompanying her life even as she finds herself to be living a life without love, while casually having to be the center of attraction to her friends – one who wish to push her back into the dating world, and the other who pity her situation. Occasionally, she does ride a little favour from Daniel (Hugh Grant) to take care of her kids while she is away, but mostly has a routine and mundane schedule with respect to her daily chores. In a scene, you see her tuning in to Netflix while trying to login unsuccessfully. But such has been her life wherein she is reduced just to her past memories with multiple voices inside her head creating a conflict of sorts for her. Life is a standstill for her even as she finally decides to end her slumber by re-entering the dating game.
On the surface, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy may seem like a naughty little Rom-Com about a woman in her 50s wishing to get back to dating before her vagina closes shop, or more specifically of wanting to experience love once more in her life. One thing that is interesting is that if you have been familiar with Bridget Jones then you would know that she has literally grown up in an era without mobile phones (she was in her early 30s in the first film in 2001). And hence in 2025 and in her 50s, she automatically finds it hard to immediately switch and commit to the dating arena on her smart phone (read : dating apps). There is an immediate reluctance on her part almost wilfully surrendering to her fate while her moderately wild side wishes for some ‘action’. And so her decision to finally get back into the game (and her previous life and job) is traced from her past with respect to her father that wanted her to live her life even after he was gone. So the emotional connect towards the protagonist here is always present.
There is an organic flow to the proceedings even as you witness the protagonist falling for a much younger but charming guy Roxster (Leo Woodall). There is a drastic age gap between the duo so much so that the protagonist casually lies of her age to him. Roxster seems to be the perfect match for Bridget – he works as a ranger by the day but has a passion for garbage, he is just as charming and caring in bed, having to deal with reluctant antics of the protagonist. He also doubles up as a macho superhero diving into the pool to save a dog from drowning. It is everything that Bridget could ever have asked for and more! There is a breezy energy that the duo exchange in literally the honeymoon phase of their relationship (in a hilarious scene, Bridget unsure of the condom size or type packs in a whole shelf at a local supermarket). But the essence of finding love through the dating apps is measured on the longevity of a relationship, with ghosting being a major metric, something that Bridget understands the hard way.
There is also a brief but important phase of competing with a much younger nanny of her children wherein there is a constant urge to seek for validation. But this is also when the drama beautifully turns into a bittersweet philosophical zone. There is a heartwrenching scene involving Daniel in a hospital who opens his heart out to Bridget by mentioning that he hasn’t seen his son for years. There is an emotional connect coupled with a sense of realisation for Bridget in trying to refocus on what is actually important to her in life. Even on the love front, she begins to gravitate towards Mr Walliker, the Science Teacher at her children’s school. The arc that you notice is that there isn’t a need for physicality as an immediate source of love (unlike Bridget’s equation with Roxster that begins on physicality). There is a natural progression of slowly spending more time with her children, be it accompanying them to hikes or attending a ‘special music performance’ that account for some wonderfully heartfelt moments. The arc wonderfully completes a full circle with a feel-good vibe wherein Bridget finally finds her new prince charming to zip her dress (which is used as a recall value), atleast for the time being. The emotional depth in the proceedings was simply beautiful and pleasantly surprising in a film that was meant to be a low-stake entertainer.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are light and frothy while being mindful of maintaining the tonal consistency in the drama wonderfully well. The moments remained bittersweet throughout owing to some wonderfully penned lines that allowed you to feel the emotions of the characters without once getting frivolous. The BGM wonderfully taps in to the emotions brimming beneath the surface. The cinematography comprising of frames allows you to stay connected to its characters while allowing you room to invest in their journeys. Each frame does tell you a story either with respect to the emotions of a character or an arc that ties itself ultimately at a point in the film. The editing is crisp such that the length of the drama is kept under checks. Director Michael Morris manages to weave a wonderfully bittersweet and heartfelt drama through the gaze of a single woman in her 50s. He doesn’t shy away from highlighting the emotional vulnerabilities of the protagonist while retaining her traits from the previous outings. There is some much thought out sensitivity laced with emotions that absolutely hits home at the end. The direction was terrific here.
Performances
The performances are wonderful by the members of the cast. Hugh Grant as Daniel is ever so polished while nailing his one-liners with a poker face. Yet, he is also given an emotional connect that he portrays with utter softness and care. Leo Woodall as Roxster is wonderful to witness while being well restrained with his emotions. I liked how dignified his character was even when he makes a brief comeback, that doesn’t vilify him while making him affable. I am just a fan of Chiwetel Ejiofor as Walliker who is quietly charming and does such a heartfelt job here. You don’t necessarily warm up to his character just like Bridget, but slowly he provides ample moments including a magical finale to truly invest in his character. Renee Zellweger is the soul of the film as Bridget Jones. She is messy, she is goofy but she is also brimming with a plethora of emotions, anxiety and vulnerability that truly define her character. It is hard not to find her affable instantly while almost immediately being invested in her journey. And such is her performance that you always silently root for her while sharing laughs and tears throughout the course of the film. It was truly a memorable outing by her.
Conclusion
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy marks the bittersweet chronicles of single parenting coupled with relationship in your 50s that makes for a heartfelt watch. I was pleasantly surprised with the emotional depth that the film had to offer thereby pushing the drama towards brilliance. Available in a theatre near you and Highly Recommended!
