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by Gabriela Kejner Published: April 5, 2001
It's the dreaded age for women: the 30s. Thirty-ish Sandra Bullock hit a pathetic nerve everywhere in "While You Were Sleeping" when she spent her holidays alone and shared Christmas dinner with her cat. Julia Roberts made a deal with her best friend to marry him if she hadn't found the right man by the time she was (gasp) thirty years old. And every Monday night viewers tune in to see the latest edition of Ally McBeal's woes as a single, thirty-year-old who has good friends and an amazing law career, but no male companion to make her life complete and “meaningful.” Bridget Jones's Diary, at first glance, seems to fall in this category of pathetic middle-aged women searching for a man to give their lives significance; however, a strong script and the endearing Renee Zellweger, playing the part of Bridget, take this film out of that category and into that of the modern woman trying to find her own formula to get by in this world of outdated rules and conceptions. Bridget Jones is a thirty- year -old woman working in a publishing house in London. She chain smokes and drinks too much, is constantly worrying about her weight, and is continuously being set up with undesirable men by her over-eager mother. Bridget has her support group of her eclectic group of friends who refer to themselves as singletons and laugh over their embarrassments and triumphs. Bridget is also subjected to dinner parties thrown by couples that ask her questions like, “why are there so many thirty year old single women working in offices?” as if Bridget is the spokesperson for people everywhere participating in that mysterious world of single-ness. After these Brit-comic introductions, the story kicks into gear: the main storyline revolves around Bridget and her attraction to her outrageously flirtatious boss Daniel, played by the dashing Hugh Grant. The two start a relationship that leaves her thinking he is the Perfect Man, the One—the one that exists only at the beginning stages of relationships or in women's heads. Predictably Bridget begins to dress better and feel better about herself as a result of Daniel's attentions, yet still reverts back and forth from her awkward side to her assertive, verbally sparring side. At the same time as her whirlwind romance, Bridget keeps bumping into Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth, a family friend who Bridget's mother previously tried to set up with Bridget that resulted in disaster. However, the more Bridget and Mark interact, the more apparent becomes the chemistry between them. Now Bridget has to choose between the fun, exuberant Daniel who thinks he could love anyone if he could love Bridget and the reserved, haughty Mark who shows his feelings in more subtle, thoughtful, and genuine ways. Added to this suspense is the animosity between Mark and Daniel, childhood friends and now enemies vying for the same girl. One big focal point of this movie before it has even been released is Renee Zellweger's weight: she gained approximately 30 to 35 pounds to play the alcohol-happy and food oriented Bridget. Some may dismiss the weight gain hype as more evidence of Hollywood's obsession with fat and the lack of it, but in fact the normally 105 pound Zellweger makes Bridget seem more like a real and a real-sized woman. Not many people would really believe that someone model-thin like Elizabeth Hurley, who was passed up for the role, would worry herself so much over her weight, feel so awkward about herself, and have trouble getting dates. The weight issue also begs the question—how could someone so normal looking get someone as sophisticated and confident as Grant's character? It is the genuineness of Zellweger's smile and the interchanging of assuredness and uncertainty in her eyes that warmed Bridget up to me, making her a real woman. I could believe that the beautiful Grant could fall in love with the sometimes awkward Bridget based on personality alone; in fact, after awhile I forgot that Zellweger looked dumpy in her sweater and that she didn't look the actresses do in every other movie, which can be a hard concept to adapt to. She became a real person to me, a friend who I could think of as a personality first and on her physicalities second. Grant gets to finally shed his perpetual role as "the dopey British guy" and is very convincing as the suave sophisticate. I found myself reacting as Bridget did toward him--smiling at the sweet things he said, laughing at his dirty jokes, and melting under his loving gaze. However, Grant also evoked a suspicion that he was being a little too slick and that, as in reality, the perfect man was not flawless. The chemistry between Grant and Zellweger is obvious in the way Daniel made Bridget light up when she was with him and how the feeling of the movie changed to that of happiness, reflected in the upbeat music and lighting used during those scenes. Unlike Grant, Firth's character is a bit more difficult to warm up to. He is good at playing characters that audiences dislike on sight, such as his Lord Wessex in "Shakespeare in Love." In fact, Mark seems to be the stereotypical stodgy, dry Brit at the beginning of the film. However, as Bridget grew to know him, she realized what a smart, caring, and thoughtful man he is. The chemistry between Firth and Zellweger, while not so dynamic and exuberant as that of Grant and Zellweger, develops by degrees and offers a good contrast to Daniel and Bridget. It is the details that make this film what it is. This film was funny and smart, and most importantly, real: the dumpy, sometimes awkward Bridget could still be a beautiful person, something she discovered along with the audience. Rating 9 out of 10. |
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