Welcome back, Bridget. As sequels go, this movie is entertaining enough to satisfy most fans of the franchise that chronicles the life of an insecure single woman in London trying to find her place in the world, personally and professionally. As Bridget Jones’s Baby opens, we find Bridget (Renée Zellweger) celebrating her 43rd birthday in somewhat pathetic fashion, with a bottle of wine and a cupcake with a candle in it. She’s now at her ideal weight and is doing well career-wise, as a news producer. But in the romance department, she’s still (or again?) struggling. A free-spirited co-worker (Sarah Solemani) takes Bridget on a ‘glamping’ trip where Bridget literally falls for the first guy she meets, Jack (Patrick Dempsey, aka McDreamy), and they have a one-night stand. Fast-forward a few days and Bridget runs into her old flame Mark (Colin Firth). The two, um, reconnect. Next thing you know, Bridget discovers that she is pregnant. Who’s the Daddy? No spoilers here…
There is no real villain in BJB. Dempsey and Firth are both likeable in their own ways as potential mates for Bridget and potential fathers for her baby. The movie employs a good deal of physical comedy and a mix of cheesy, predictable, funny, and sentimental dialogue as the two men compete for her affections and seek to claim paternity. I heard that the actors themselves were left in the dark during filming as to who would be declared the baby daddy in the final reveal. Personally, I figured out which way it was likely to go fairly early in the game, but it’s still fun to wonder, as always, about the risk and rewards of choosing one path over another.
The audience seemed pretty satisfied with how it all played out. Bridget Jones’s Baby is not as good as the original, Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), but it’s better than the first sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004). It’s also a bit too long at a smidge over two hours. But all things considered, it’s a fun romantic comedy and chick flick with some actual laugh-out-loud moments. Keep the expectations in check, and you’re likely to enjoy this opportunity to hang with Bridget once again.