The majority of “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” had me thinking this was going to be a rom-com that left me feeling indifferent. To my surprise, the final 30 minutes of the movie hit me like a truck, which resulted in an emotional outpour.
I adore the character Bridget Jones, played by Renée Zellweger, and all her quirks that make her feel like your non-typical rom-com lead. She’s messy, unorganized, wild and chaotic, yet she’s relatable, honest and brave. So, when I heard they were making a fourth film to the “Bridget Jones” series, I knew I had to see it the minute it was released.
This fourth film follows Jones navigating life after the death of her husband Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth. She jumps back into the dating pool to find herself in a relationship with a much younger man, but ultimately ends up dating one of her children’s teachers.
As you can imagine from the previous description, it’s not the most thrilling movie I’ve seen. In fact the majority of the movie had me thinking, “Oh no… this series that I love is now ruined by this one singular movie.”
However, I guess I’m a rom-com type of gal at heart because the final 30 minutes prevailed and showed what the real meaning of the movie is—how to navigate feelings of grief.
What worked
When we finally got down to the meaning of the story—it took the movie long enough but we got there—I was finally able to connect emotionally with Jones and feel what she’s been feeling.
That moment happens in one specific scene where her son is singing at a school choir concert. Jones herself said that for the first time since her husband died, she is able to understand that her family is going to be OK.
During this serene moment, there’s a pan to the left and we see Darcy standing there, watching his son. When I tell you I immediately cried, I mean sobbed. That’s an emotional depiction to see in a film because while I personally believe our dead loved ones walk among us, it’s SO realistic to see it on screen.
I truly felt like I was transported into the movie at that moment because of how connected I felt. Emotions speak louder than anything. I appreciate Darcy still had a part in this film, despite being dead in it, because honestly, he’s the reason why I initially started watching this film series. Firth has that charismatic persona that you can’t help but fall in love with.
Not only did we get to see Darcy on screen, but we saw how Jones progressed into continuing on without guilt. Survivor’s guilt is real, and we see her overcome that.
While I connected emotionally with the in-depth themes of grief and second chances, I also loved seeing all the Easter eggs and nods to the previous films. There was Jones, once again, standing in the snow as a man confessed his love for her and the iconic moose sweater Darcy wears. Only this time, his son is wearing it at the end of the movie.
What didn’t work
Yes, I’m a sucker for rom-coms but I’ll be honest. Most of this movie felt like fluff. We didn’t get down to the nitty gritty until the end of the movie. I understand wanting to keep it light-hearted but there was simply too much fluff.
For example, a giant chunk of the film is about Jones and her new relationship with a younger man. That’s all fine and dandy with me but it gets to the point where I ask myself, “OK, what’s the main idea here?”
The amount of time the film uses to show this relationship is too much for a character that ends up not mattering in the end. Faster progression into Jones’ emotions dealing with grief would’ve cut a lot of the fluff, instead of watching her use Tinder.
Because of this, most of the film felt surface level which created that doubt within me that I might not love this movie as much as its predecessors, and that fear lasted up until the final act.
My other source of contention is that this wasn’t released in theaters, only on Peacock. Now, I assume that’s a financial contract deal the makers had with Peacock, but be so for real with me. You cannot make a movie part of an iconic series and ONLY release it on streaming. They should’ve at LEAST released it both on Peacock and in theaters.
The verdict
While the majority of this film was fluff, there was the sentimental impact of grief and Jones living her second chance at love. She learns how to continue moving forward in life despite leaving someone in the past, because they’re not really in the past but walking with us every day.
I’m rating “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” a 3.5 out of five stars and while you cannot see it in theaters, I can truthfully say I bought a subscription to Peacock solely to watch it—and it was worth every penny.
