ब्रिजेट जोन्स की डायरी

This film I only discovered fairly recently, and just absolutely fell in love with it. It sure seemed familiar and lo and behold then I read about the Pride and Prejudice connection and then it all made complete sense.

This is such a charming, lovely homage to Pride and Prejudice. The three lead characters are just perfect. It is funny, sweet at times, sad at others, and just wonderfully sexy and v. romantic (especially the last 1/4th of it).

Renee is so extraordinary as Bridget Jones, who would have ever thought she could play so believable a modern Brit woman so well. Her accent seems flawless to me. Hugh Grant is hilarious and a charming Lothario throughout. But Colin Firth is who really sold me on this film. His ability to play a guy that you start out not liking but drooling over by the end of the movie is sublime.

I am a big fan of the less is more style of acting that Mr. Firth puts forth in this film...much of his performance is in his eyes and his facial expressions. While Daniel (Mr. Grant's character) chatters on and on and tries to charm with his wit and words, Mark Darcy (Mr. Firth's character) just has a strong and rather silent presence along with an integrity of character that is revealed and he wins us over (as well as Bridget).

This movie has a lot going on outside of the wonderful romance as well. Contemporary events, gender inequities, social differences, work place decorum, fashion, self-image, sex, family, and friendship all come under the scrutiny of Bridget Jones and her diary.

This is a very good adaptation of a beloved novel. The tone, scene selection, dialogue and characters capture the essence of what fans of the book love about it. I cannot imagine it any better cast or written.

Being a long time fan of the BJD books (three years and counting), I had nothing but high hopes for the movie version. I was lucky enough to get into a sneak preview last night, and I was not disappointed. The movie, like the book, has the most hilarious lines and moments, and each of the actors portrayed their characters so well you couldn't imagine anyone else in that part. Renee Zellweger IS Bridget, there is just no arguing it. No other actress could have pulled off what Renee did in this movie. Hugh Grant makes for an excellent Daniel, who is completely two faced and has a smarmy sort of charm that makes you want him just as badly as Bridget does. Colin Firth is a superb Mark Darcy, but that was a given because the character was practically written with him in mind - as all avid BJD readers know, Mark Darcy's character is a play on the Mr. Darcy Firth portrayed in Pride and Prejudice.

Some of the more hardcore fans of the book may be disappointed with all the missing jokes and scenes, but to film the entire book would have left us with a 10 hour movie. The writers did an excellent job distilling the essence of the novel, and the finished product has all the charm and wit of the original. The audience, many of whom I'm sure have never read the book (and many of whom, surprisingly, were male), laughed nonstop throughout the film, and everyone seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. As for those of us who have read it, I do believe that this is one of those rare book-to-movie jobs that was really spot-on, and everything that was noticeably changed in the process only makes the movie better. So go see it, it's hands-down one of the best movies of 2001 so far.

Bridget Jones's Diary is a somewhat amusing movie about an English woman who wants to change her life because she finds herself in her 30s and still single. I must say though that Renée Zellweger does a wonderful job and earns her Oscar nomination for portraying Bridget Jones. Colin Firth and Hugh Grant fit their roles well also. The script is pretty average for a film like this, I don't know why but I wasn't really struck with the writing like a lot of people were, although I did like hearing Bridget's narration throughout the movie. And there were also some pretty genuinely funny moments. Now with all that said, that still doesn't mean that this romantic comedy is the best of its kind, in my opinion it's not. There were just some scenes that I thought lagged on too long and other parts that were dull. I do think that there are better romantic comedies to choose from out there, but it is worth just one watch just to see Renée Zellweger, because she really shines, if only the rest of the movie would've kept up with her. 6/10.

Bridget Jones's Diary actually gave some laughs, and for that alone gives this film reccomendation, since so few romantic comedies now adays (outside of the classic Woody Allen flick) deliver laughs WITH corny plot twists.

Renee Zellwegger is as charming as she was in Jerry Maguire and Nurse Betty (though Nurse Betty has her best work) as a British woman who has some low self esteem about herself- she drinks, smokes, and eats too much, and has trouble staying away from bad boyfriends. In the movie, it focuses on her relationships with Colin Firfth, a honest British lawyer, and Hugh Grant who is a coniving yet charming scoundrel.

Some of the movie might be a tad too over-conventional for some tastes (at times it was for me), but the film delivers enough surprises and good feelings (lame for me to say that isn't it) that it should make for a good date movie that the guy might not hate with all his being. A-

As a huge fan of the books, I had incredibly high expectations of the movie. In order for the movie to work for me, it had to capture Bridget's plucky-heroine character and the hilarious-poignant emotions that are in the book. Needless to say, `Bridget Jones's Diary' the movie worked very, very, very well. Although Helen Fielding also wrote the screenplay (w/ Richard Curtis, very skilled with romantic comedies) and keeps the laughs coming, this movie could have fallen flat on its face. But it doesn't because one, the casting is absolutely divine and two, smartly builds on some elements the book downplays.

Renee Zellweger is absolutely perfect as Bridget Jones. She has always been one of my favorite actresses and here, she totally displays Bridget's pathetic cuteness. Zellweger gained weight for this role, too, so she looks adorably plump. It's very, very hard to not fall in love with her the moment you see her at her family's Christmas party or drinking alone at home or listening to sad, Celine Dion music. (You have a heart of stone if you aren't moved to laughs or tears or pity for her.) I can't imagine anyone else playing Bridget Jones. Zellweger fits the role because she is very much normal and approachable…we can relate to her.

As Daniel Cleaver (her caddish Cassanova lover/boss), Hugh Grant is smoldering and hilarious. (Ok, I might be a little biased because I've been in love with him for ages and ages, but you can't deny he is a great comedic actor.) There's no trace of his stuttering that we saw (and I loved) in `Four Weddings and a Funeral' or `Sense and Sensibility.' Grant morphs effortlessly into a cad that we all love to hate and all love to love. Yes, it's a paradox, but that is what Grant brings to his role. He makes being `bad' look so sexy. You can't take your eyes off him; he brings his own humor to his role. It's lovely, smoldering, and incredibly sexy.

Colin Firth is also a delight to watch onscreen as Mark Darcy (I think I might be in love with him, too). He is also sexy and smoldering, but not in the same wild, fiery way as Daniel Cleaver. Firth brings a very cute sweetness to his role. I don't know if it is his adorable face or his hair or the way he dresses or just the fact that he is a major sex symbol, but you can't help but fall in love with him the MOMENT you see him onscreen. There is also one very beautiful moment where he tells Bridget, `I like you very much…just the way you are.' It's incredibly romantic and, for me, ranks right up there with Tom Cruise's `You complete me' in `Jerry Maguire.' He also has rather explosive chemistry with Renee Zellweger, which is moving and sexy all at the same time. (And, of course, the author Helen Fielding used Colin Firth as the basis for Mark Darcy, so it all works out marvelously.)

I also mentioned that the movie smartly builds on some elements that the book downplays. Yes, there are certain parts of the movie that cannot be found in the book, but I'm still glad they put them in the movie. Most of what they added doesn't necessarily build on plot but it does add to the characters. I don't want to give anything away because it's rather hilarious what unfolds onscreen. The movie is filmed in an almost Ally McBeal type of way but it remains true to the sincerity, cuteness, and pathetic naivete that Bridget Jones embodies. There are no pretensions. It's an entirely wonderful film. 10/10