Bridget Jone's Diary

Movie Name: Bridget Jone's Diary
Year of Release: 2001

Director: Sharon Maguire

Stars: Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Shirley Henderson, James Callis, Sally Phillips, Paul Brooke, James Faulkner, Celia Imrie, Embeth Davidtz, Felicity Montagu

Genre: Comedy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis:

"Bridget Jone's Diary" is the debut feature of Sharon Maguire, and follows a career directing documentaries and TV series. The film is the adaptation of the very successful novel by Helen Fielding, and it follows the adventures of young singleton Bridget Jones. At her 32nd birthday, Bridget realizes she's still single, a bit heavier than she liked to be, and decides to turn her life around. Sadly she gets involved with her boss at the publishing house where she currently works, which makes things awkward when he turns out to be less than scrupulous. Bridget is forced to get out of her situation, and find a new job, and simultaneously keep an eye out for an interesting acquaintance of hers (and of her ex), who keeps popping up.
"Bridget Jone's Diary" is a romantic comedy which lives of the charm and charisma that the lead actors have. It's a film that doesn't have much novelty or much of a different angle, aside from the fact that its heroine is apparently a single woman who is slightly clumsy, and apparently a bit overweight. The film succeeds in captivating its audience since the three leads have undeniable charisma, and make the film far surpass the cliches they find themselves in. Renee Zellweger, manages to create a character that is approachable, flawed and funny as she tackles life in general and dating in particular. She's easy to grasp and understand, and that's one of the reasons why the film is so successful. All the leads know the film is a lark, and there's definitely a sense of the film being lightweight and not to be taken too seriously. In the vein of "Four Weddings and a Funeral", this is a film that takes the ordinary and makes it look and sound funny and at times touching. A fair comedy worth revisiting.