Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy Synopsis: Bridget Jones finally has some luck in her life; she has a great job as a screenwriter, her family and a new boyfriend; the fact that he’s over twenty years her junior isn’t the only thing causing problems.
Spoilers ahead. Proceed with caution!
Twenty-four years after we first met Bridget, we finally come to the final page in her diary. In the last chapter, Bridget had Mark Darcy’s baby, after which the two finally got married. Now, Bridget (Renee Zellweger) is a widow, having lost Mark four years earlier when he was killed during a humanitarian mission in Sudan. She’s raising their two small children, Billy and Mable, and is as frazzled and awkward as ever, still processing her grief.
As reluctant as Bridget is to start dating again, she’s finally pushed onto Tinder by her friend and colleague, Miranda. There, she starts chatting with Rockster (Leo Woodall), a much younger man she met in the park when she got stuck climbing a tree. Classic Bridget. They begin a hot and heavy relationship, but their age-gap is the elephant in the room that can’t be ignored forever.
I will admit that I was not looking forward to this movie. In fact, I wasn’t sure I would watch it at all. Knowing Mark Darcy’s fate, I didn’t see the point. Bridget and Mark’s love story has been at the heart of every movie in this franchise, and why would I want to watch Bridget move on with someone else? But, you all know me. I love my romantic comedies, and I love Bridget. I’m glad I decided to give Mad About the Boy a chance. My fear stemmed from Mark being a distant memory as Bridget moved on, but Mark is very present throughout the entirety of the film.
We see glimpses of him when Bridget remembers small moments, such as when he would tuck their children into bed. Their son, Billy, is still struggling with the loss of his father as well, something Bridget is only made aware of when his science teacher, Scott Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor), points it out during a school parent night. Mad About the Boy ensures the audience knows how much Mark Darcy meant to Bridget, and the fans of these novels and films. Perhaps she’s finally allowing herself some happiness after his death, but that love will always be there.
Mad About the Boy is a romantic comedy, yes, but it’s definitely more poignant and emotional than the three films that came before it. There is some treading on old familiar ground – Bridget in a love triangle once again – and an age-gap romance that doesn’t exactly bring anything fresh to the popular trope. Leo Woodall is perfectly fine as the young Rockster. He’s cute and makes Bridget feel desirable again. He’s the catalyst Bridget needs to start taking care of herself and perhaps open herself up to the possibility that she could find love again. But we all know it’s not going to be with Rockster.
Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Scott Wallaker is perhaps the new stand-in for Mark. He’s a buttoned-up teacher and a bit aloof when he and Bridget meet. There’s not an instant dislike there as there was with Mark, but Wallaker certainly keeps his cards close to his chest as he and Bridget dance around one another during some awkward encounters. No one is ever going to top Mark Darcy as a love interest, but thankfully, the film doesn’t try to. Ejiofor and Zellweger have charming chemistry, and it’s worth seeing Bridget have (another) happy ending.
I will admit that I cried during Mad About the Boy. A lot. I think I cried more than I laughed, though that’s not to say the film doesn’t have its humorous moments. But this movie has less to do with romance and comedy and more to do with Bridget navigating single motherhood, aging, and grief. It’s not all sadness and tears, however! There’s undoubtedly plenty of fan service, with callbacks and brief cameos by characters who amused us in previous films.
Most notably, Hugh Grant returns as the devilishly charming Daniel Cleaver (presumed dead in Bridget Jones’s Baby). Now he’s “Uncle Daniel” and occasionally babysits for Bridget. He’s still a playboy, just a less sleazy one. He and Bridget seemed to have fallen into a platonic relationship that works for both of them. Seeing Grant back was nice, even though I couldn’t help but wonder if Daniel and Mark patched things up before Mark’s death or if Bridget and Daniel’s friendship grew out of their shared grief.
Zellweger herself shines again as Bridget, falling effortlessly back into the character that earned her an Academy Award nomination back in 2001. As much as I adored her love story with Mark, it was always Zellweger who carried the films as our awkward, hapless heroine. She does the same again in Mad About the Boy. While watching this movie, I realized it was Bridget. I was tuning in to watch it, and she made it worthwhile.
It’s clear that this is the last chapter in Bridget Jones’s story, and while it’s extremely bittersweet, it’s also surprisingly satisfying.
Watched: 02/23/2025
Notable Song: Mad About the Boy by Dinah Washington
