‘Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason’ (2004) Review

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Synopsis: After finding love, Bridget Jones questions if she really has everything she’s dreamed of having.

When I saw this movie in 2004, I recall not enjoying it as much as the first film. Yes, I still adored Renee Zellweger’s performance, and I will always swoon over Colin Firth as Mark Darcy, but something was missing from Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. I remember feeling the same way when I read the novel, and while I appreciated the changes they made from novel to screen in Bridget Jones’s Diary, the changes in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason didn’t work for me the same way.

The Edge of Reason picks up where the original film left us, with Bridget and Mark engrossed in the blissful first weeks of their new relationship. It’s clear they’re in love, but doubts soon begin to creep in as Bridget realizes she’s not as worldly and sophisticated as Mark’s posh friends and colleagues.

Not to mention that he’s a (gasp) conservative voter and has a beautiful young intern named Rebecca (Jacinda Barrett) constantly on his arm, sparking jealousy and insecurity within Bridget. She has difficulty communicating this to Mark, who also has difficulty communicating much of anything to Bridget. After a few predictable misunderstandings and a pregnancy scare that reveals their different ideas for the future, Bridget breaks up with Mark.

From there, the movie abruptly changes course, sending Bridget to Thailand with Daniel Cleaver (devilishly smarmy Hugh Grant), where the exotic beaches and romantic moon tempt Bridget into giving Daniel another chance. Then we get some sluggish nonsense where Bridget is framed for drug smuggling, and this is where I began to remember why I hadn’t liked this movie in 2004.

To be fair, I did enjoy it more during this rewatch, but only in the first half, where we were dealing with Bridget and Mark’s growing pains. In romantic comedies, we always wonder what happens after the ‘happily ever after’, and The Edge of Reason had the potential to show us, even if it meant veering away from the novel completely. Instead, we get a silly second half that goes from mildly silly to just plain ridiculous.

The performances are still fantastic, which made the movie tolerable. Even with a shaky script Zellweger still perfectly embodies Bridget’s charm. Firth and Grant stay true to their characters, and while not as iconic as in the first film, Mark and Daniel’s second fight in a water fountain is still as fun, probably because it’s a delight to see Mark show some real emotion, even if it’s pent up anger and resentment.

If you’re a fan of Bridget Jones’s Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is undoubtedly worth watching, but it simply lacks the heart that made the first film so successful. I’m not sure if this is because of the script or the fact that the movie had a different director. I know that Sharon Maguire did return to the director’s chair for Bridget Jones’s Baby, so I’m hoping that the conclusion to the trilogy will be a much more enjoyable one than this was.

Watched: 03/09/2019
Notable Song: Crazy In Love by Beyonce